Two Dimensional Static Mechanical Analysis of Laminated Composite Tube Using ABCDE Matrix with No Correction Factor

Abstract

Accurate modeling and prediction of materials properties is of utmost importance to design engineers. In this study, newly developed two-dimensional laminate constitutive equations (LCE) were derived directly from an existing shell model without using a classical correction factor. The resulted LCEs were subsequently used for the first time to analyze a laminated composite tube (LCT) subjected to in plane-loading. This led to additional composite-shell stiffness coefficients which are not currently available in some LCEs. The strains and stresses distribution fields were computed via Matlab. The accuracy and robustness of our analytical method were proven by opposing the as-obtained results of thick and thin LCTs with that of existing theories which use a correction factor. An excellent convergence was observed. Whereas a lower convergence was observed in the case of a laminated shell plate. Results also showed that the thickness ratio χ (2χ=h/R ) considerably influences the mechanical behavior of the LCT. In fact when χ<0.1, the distribution of stresses and strains of the tube were the same for the two opposed theories. When χ>0.1, the distribution of stresses and strains were not the same, hence the contribution of our ABCDE matrix. The new mechanical couplings in our LCE could be well illustrated in a finite element package with visualization tools to observe some intricate deformations which are yet to be seen. Thus the outcome of this work will be of particularly interest to promote advanced scientific and structural engineering applications.