Investigation on interlaminar shear stresses in laminated composite beam under thermal and mechanical loading

Abstract

In the present study, the combined effects of thermal and mechanical loadings on the interlaminar shear stresses of both moderately thin and thick composite laminated beams are numerically analyzed. The finite element modelling of laminated composite beams and analysis of interlaminar stresses are performed using the commercially available software package MSC NASTRAN/PATRAN. The validity of the finite element analysis (FEA) is demonstrated by comparing the experimental test results obtained due to mechanical loadings under the influence of thermal environment with those derived using the present FEA. Various parametric studies are also performed to investigate the effect of thermal loading on interlaminar stresses generated in symmetric, anti-symmetric, asymmetric, unidirectional, cross-ply, and balanced composite laminated beams of different stacking sequences with identical mechanical loadings and various boundary conditions. It is shown that the elevated thermal environment lead to higher interlaminar shear stresses varying with the stacking sequence, length to thickness ratio, ply orientations under identical mechanical loading and boundary conditions of the composite laminated beams. It is realized that the magnitude of the interlaminar stresses along xz plane is always much higher than those of along yz plane irrespective of the ply-orientation, length to thickness ratios and boundary conditions of the composite laminated beams. It is also observed that the effect of thermal environment on the interlaminar shear stresses in carbon-epoxy fiber reinforced composite laminated beams are increasing in the order of symmetric cross-ply laminate, unidirectional laminate, asymmetric cross-ply laminate and anti-symmetric laminate. The interlaminar shear stresses are higher in thinner composite laminated beams compared to that in thicker composite laminated beams under all environmental temperatures irrespective of the laminate stacking sequence, ply-orientation and boundary conditions.