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Prediction of microcracking in composite laminates under thermomechanical loading

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:177689
Composite laminates used in space structures are exposed to both thermal and mechanical loads. Cracks in the matrix form, changing the laminate thermoelastic properties. An analytical methodology is developed to predict microcrack density in a general laminate exposed to an arbitrary thermomechanical load history. The analysis uses a shear lag stress solution in conjunction with an energy-based cracking criterion. Experimental investigation was used to verify the analysis. Correlation between analysis and experiment is generally excellent. The analysis does not capture machining-induced cracking, or observed delayed crack initiation in a few ply groups, but these errors do not prevent the model from being a useful preliminary design tool.
Research Organization:
Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, MA (United States)
OSTI ID:
177689
Report Number(s):
N--96-15862; NASA-CR--199800; NAS--1.26:199800; NIPS--95-06502; CNN: NAG1-1463
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English