Classical Laminate Theory

Laminated construction:
Special laminates:
Symmetric: [u1/ u2/....../uk /uk /....../u2/u1] = [u1/u2/....../uk]s
Cross-ply: containing only plies in 0 and 90
Angle-ply: containing only plies in +u and u
Balanced: having equal number of +u and u or 0 and 90 plies
Quasi-isotropic: having equal number of plies in
(1) 0, 90, +45 and 45 or
(2) 0, +60 and 60
Notation: [u1/u2/....../un]
Laminate theory
{ } { } { }
0
'
x
y
xy
z
c
c c c k

= = +
`

)
Generalised strains: {c
0
} & {k}
1) Normal remains normal
Love-Kirchhoff hypothesis
2) Laminae are under plane stress state
{o}=[Q]{c}
Membrane strains curvatures
Integrating the stresses across the thickness to eliminate z
{ }
top
bottom
x x
z
y y
z
xy xy
M
M M z dz
M
o
o
t


= =
` `

) )
}
bending moments
Generalised stresses : {N} & {M}
{ }
top
bottom
x x
z
y y
z
xy xy
N
N N dz
N
o
o
t


= =
` `

) )
}
membrane forces
Taking the moment about the reference surface to reflection the variation of stresses along z
Reference
surface
l=1
l=2
l=n
z
h
0
h
1
h
2
h
n-1
h
n
x-y plane
H
Introduction of the reference surface:
h
i
(i=0,1,,n): z-coordinates of interfaces
11 12 16 11 12 16
12 22 26 12 22 16
16 26 66 16 26 66
11 12 16 11 12 16
12 22 26 12 22 26
16 26 66 16 26 66
A A A B B B
A A A B B B
A A A B B B A B
B B B D D D B D
B B B D D D
B B B D D D
(
(
(
(
(
=
(
(

(
(
(
(

Generalised stress-strain relationship
)
`

=
)
`

k
c
0
D B
B A
M
N
Laminate stiffness matrices (ABD matrices):
| | | | '
top
bottom
z
z
A Q dz =
}
| | | |
'
top
bottom
z
z
B Q zdz =
}
| | | |
2
'
top
bottom
z
z
D Q z dz =
}
| |{ } | | { } { }
( ) | | { } | | { }
0 0
top top top top top
bottom bottom bottom bottom bottom
x x
z z z z z
y y
z z z z z
xy xy
N
N dz Q dz Q z dz Q dz Q zdz
N
o
o c c k c k
t

| | | |

' ' ' ' = = = + = + | |
` `
| |
\ . \ .
) )
} } } } }
| |{ } | | { } { }
( )
| | { } | | { }
0 0 2
top top top top top
bottom bottom bottom bottom bottom
x x
z z z z z
y y
z z z z z
xy xy
M
M z dz Q zdz Q z zdz Q zdz Q z dz
M
o
o c c k c k
t

| | | |

' ' ' ' = = = + = + | |
` `
| |

\ . \ .
) )
} } } } }
{o '}=[Q ']{c '} { } { } { }
0
' z c c k = + L-K hypothesis:
| |
11 12 16
12 22 26
16 26 66
Q Q Q
Q Q Q Q
Q Q Q
' ' '
(
(
' ' ' ' =
(
' ' ' (

| |
11 12
12 22
66
0
0
0 0
Q Q
Q Q Q
Q
(
(
=
(
(

Reference
surface
l=1
l=2
l=n
z
h
0
h
1
h
2
h
n-1
h
n
x-y plane
H
)
`

=
)
`

k
c
0
D B
B A
M
N
Stiffness matrix of the laminate
| | | | | | | | ( )
1
1
1 1
' ' '
top
l
bottom
l
h z
n n
l l
l l
l l
h z
A Q dz Q dz Q h h

= =
= = =

} }
| | | | | | | | ( )
1
2 2
1
1 1
1
' ' '
2
top
l
bottom
l
h z
n n
l l
l l
l l
h z
B Q zdz Q zdz Q h h

= =
= = =

} }
| | | | | | | | ( )
1
2 2 3 3
1
1 1
1
' ' '
3
top
l
bottom
l
h z
n n
l l
l l
l l
h z
D Q z dz Q z dz Q h h

= =
= = =

} }
t
l
is the thickness of the l-th lamina
n = number of laminae in the laminate
h
l
= z-coordinate of the interface between l-th and (l+1)-th laminae
l
0
=z
bottom
and l
n
=z
top
[Q'] = [T] [Q] [T]
T
( )
1
1, 2,.......,
l l l
h h t l n

= + =
0
2
H
h =
2
n
H
h =
1
n
l
l
H t
=
=

If the geometric mid plane is chosen as the reference plane

(
(
=
(
(


Effective Youngs modulus in x-direction: E
x
=1/(HA
11
*
)
Effective Youngs modulus in y-direction: E
y
=1/(HA
22
*
)
Effective Poisson ratio in x-direction: v
xy
= A
12
*
/A
11
*
Effective shear modulus in x-direction: G
xy
=1/(HA
66
*
), etc.
Quasi-isotropic laminates:
Laminates made of blocks of [0/+45/-45/90] or [-60/0/+60] tend to show
isotropic characteristics as far as [A] is concerned, in the sense that
E
x
=E
y
and G
xy
=E
x
/2(1+v
xy
)
or A
11
=A
22
, A
12
=vA
11
and A
66
=A
11
(1-v)/2
Alaminate can never be really isotropic as [B] may not always vanish or [D] may not
show isotropic features
Special laminates
Symmetric laminate:
)
`

=
)
`

k
c
0
0
0
D
A
M
N
0
11 12 11 12
0
12 22 12 22
0
66 66
11 12 11 12
12 22 12 22
66 66
0 0
0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0 0 0
x x
y y
xy
xy
x
x
y
y
xy
xy
N
A A B B
N
A A B B
N
A B
M B B D D
B B D D M
B D
M
c
c

k
k
_


(


(


(
=
` `
(

(

(


)
)
Cross-ply:
Coupling stiffness matrix [B]=0

(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

xy
y
x
xy
y
x
xy
y
x
xy
y
x
D D D B B B
D D D B B B
D D D B B B
B B B A A A
B B B A A A
B B B A A A
M
M
M
N
N
N
_
k
k

c
c
0
0
0
66 26 16 66 26 16
26 22 12 26 22 12
16 12 11 16 12 11
66 26 16 66 26 16
16 22 12 26 22 12
16 12 11 16 12 11
Example
Antisymmetric cross-ply laminate with n alternating 0 and 90 laminae of equal
thickness, i.e. [0/90/0/0/90]
| |
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

=
12
21 12
2
21 12
1 21
21 12
2 12
21 12
1
0 0
0
1 1
0
1 1
G
E E
E E
Q
v v v v
v
v v
v
v v
| |
( )
( )
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

+
=
12
21 12
2 1
21 12
1 21
21 12
2 12
21 12
2 1
0 0
0
1 2 1
0
1 1 2
G
E E E
E E E
H A
v v v v
v
v v
v
v v
| |
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

=
0 0 0
0
1
0
0 0
1
8
) 1 (
21 12
2 1
21 12
2 1
2
v v
v v
E E
E E
n
H
B
n
Tends to vanish as n increases
| |
( )
( )
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

+
=
12
21 12
2 1
21 12
1 21
21 12
2 12
21 12
2 1
3
0 0
0
1 2 1
0
1 1 2
12
G
E E E
E E E
H
D
v v v v
v
v v
v
v v
Antisymmetric angle-ply [+u /-u /+u /-u /....../+u /-u ]:
The laminar stiffness matrices for the +u and -u plies
| |
11 12 16
12 22 26
16 26 66
Q Q Q
Q Q Q Q
Q Q Q
u +
' ' '
(
(
' ' ' =
(
' ' ' (

| |
11 12 16
12 22 26
16 26 66
Q Q Q
Q Q Q Q
Q Q Q
u
' ' ' (
(
' ' ' =
(
' ' ' (

The laminate stiffness matrices
| |
11 12
12 22
66
0
0
0 0
Q Q
A H Q Q
Q
' '
(
(
' ' =
(
' (

| |
16
2
26
16 26
0 0
0 0
4
0
Q
H
B Q
n
Q Q
'
(

(
' =
(
' ' (

| |
11 12
3
12 22
66
0
0
12
0 0
Q Q
H
D Q Q
Q
' '
(
(
' ' =
(
' (

[B] tends to vanish as the number of laminae increases at a constant laminate thickness
Example
(

=
2 2 12
2 12 1
21 12
1
1
] [
E E
E E
Q
v
v
v v
| |
(

=
E E
E E H
A
2 12
2 12
21 12
1 v
v
v v
)
`

=
)
`

0
H
N
N
y
x
o
2
2 1
E E
E
+
=
( )
( )
0
12 21 1 12 2 12 21
0 2 2 2 2 2 2
12 2 12 2 12 2 12 2
1 1
[
0
]
x x
y y
N H E E
A
E
N E E E E E H E E
c o o v v v v v
c v v v v

(
= = =
` ` ` ` (

) ) ) )
0 ply:
0
1
0
2
x
y
c c
c c



=
` `
)
)
( )
( )
( )
2 2
1 1 1 12 2 1 1 2 12 2
2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 12 2 2 12 2 1 2 12 2 12 2 12 2
2
[
2
]
E E E E E E E
E E E E E E
Q
E E E E
o c v v
o o
o c v v v v v
+ (

= = =
` ` ` `
(

) ) ) )
90 ply:
0
1
0
2
y
x
c c
c c

=
` `
) )
( )
( )
( )
12 2 1 2
1 1 1 12 2 12 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 12 2 2 12 2 1 2 12 2 12 2
[
2
]
1 2
E E E
E E E
E E E E E E E E E E
Q
v
o c v v
o o
o c v v v v

(
= = =
` ` ` `
(
+
) ) )

)
Uniaxial tension o of symmetric cross-ply laminate [0/90/90/0] of thickness H (Shear not involved)
{ } | |{ }
0
N A c =
{ } | | { } c o Q = Lamina: Laminate:
{ } | | { }
0 0 0
T
T c c

' =
{ } | | { }
90 90 90
T
T c c

' =
Summary
Laminates
Love-Kirchhoff Hypothesis: CLT
A, B & D matrices
Examples of Various Laminates
Laminate Analysis: {N} & {M} {o}
l
Ply thicknesses h
i
& reference surface
Material constants [Q]
l
Ply angles [T]
l
[Q]
l
h
i
[A], [B] & [D]
Load {N} & {M} deformation {c
0
} & {k}
{c
0
} + z{k} {c}
l
[T]
l
T
{c}
l
{c}
l
[Q]
l
{c}
l
{o}
l