Experimental investigation of the stress-strain state of three-layer shells fabricated with the use of anisotropic high-modulus composite materials

Abstract

Problems associated with study of the stress-strain state of multilayer shell designs where the layers are formed from carbon-fiber-based materials have recently been attracting increasing attention [i, 2]. To date, however, there have been virtually no publications devoted to problems of the experimental investigation of three-layer cylindrical shells with bearing layers of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. In addition to this, it is known that the possibilities of three-layer designs with high-modulus linings are usually not fully realized. The characteristic features of the technological process exerts a significant influence on the bearing capacity of these designs. The fabrication of large-dimension three-layer shell designs occurs, by nature, simultaneously with the formation of the composite material itself; in the majority of cases, therefore, conclusive data on the physicomechanical properties of the material and the bearing capacity of a full-scale design can be acquired only on the basis of experiment. These situations apply to a significant degree to multilayer designs fabricated by the method of vacuum formation.