Experimental and numerical investigation on bearing behavior of hybrid thin/thick-ply composite laminates

Abstract

Composite materials have found usage in many industrial applications and more recently they are increasingly used in aerospace panels and airframes. The use of composites in the aerospace industry is justified by their excellent specific modulus and strength. When a composite laminate is loaded in tension with increasing load it will eventually fail (macroscopically). The failure is preceded by initiation and evolution of several microdamage modes and if the amount of damage increases during, for example the service life of the structure, laminate thermo-elastic properties are reduced.