Micro- and macromechanical stress and failure analyses of laminated composites

Abstract

The micro- and macromechannical responses of laminated composites in regions of high stress gradients are examined within the framework of linear plane elasticity. The micromechanical model is based on a system of alternating layers of heterogeneous reinforcement and matrix, whereas the macromechanical counterpart is characterized by the effective homogeneous, orthotropic properties of the constituents. The Fourier transform and the stiffness matrix formulation are employed. As a numerical illustration, a semi-infinite medium made of aluminum and boron layers subjected to a concentrated load is considered. The micro- and macromechanical stress fields as well as the corresponding failure stresses are presented to measure the degree of correspondence between the two models.