Effects of opening size and layering ratio on compression properties of composite laminates

Abstract

In order to study the effect of opening size and layering ratio on the compression performance, the compression experiments of composite laminates with three opening sizes and ply were carried out. The strains near the opening area were measured by resistance strain gauges. The experimental results show that the larger the opening size, the lower the 0° layer ratio, the higher the strain level at the hole edge, and the smaller the strain distribution gradient, thus the lower the compressive strength of composite laminates with large openings. Then, based on the Puck failure criterion, a progressive damage analysis model of large-opening composite laminates was established to simulate the compression failure process of laminates. The compressive strength and the strain distribution of the hole edge obtained by numerical simulations are in good agreement with the experimental results. The numerical analysis model can effectively predict the compression performance of composite laminates with large openings.

Keywords

• composite laminate
• large openings
• layering ratio
• opening size
• compressive strength