Issues On Finite Element Modeling Of Laminated Composite Structures

Composite structures have been used widely in aviation industries and civil construction field because of their high specific stiffness, high specific strength and directional dependent properties. When using finite element method to analyze these structures, special attention of modeling is required. This thesis addresses the effect of layer stresses and displacements of a laminate under loading due to element meshing, boundary constraints and material properties used in modeling of composite structures. This study also includes the investigation of the magnitude and location of the layer peak stresses on modeling the laminate with a hole. It is concluded that special characteristics of composite structures such as symmetrical/unsymmetrical and balanced/unbalanced laminate configurations need to be considered in the application of finite element method to composite structures.