Effect of angle-ply arrangement on fracture behaviour of FRP composite laminate under the thermal loading conditions subjected to central elliptical cut-out

ABSTRACT

The crack propagation in composite material due to thermal loading and environmental conditions is a serious issue. The study of the fracture propagation in a composite laminate will help understand the response of the structures under various loads. In the present study, a composite laminate is modelled with an elliptical cut-out and the fracture behaviour of the structure under the application of the thermal load is studied. Finite element analysis was used to obtain the stresses in the structure. Thermal load is applied on the laminate in the form of a constant temperature. The temperatures used in the present study are 30°C, 80°C, 130°C, and 180°C. The stresses in the laminate increased with the increase in the thermal load. The stresses in the normal direction are major stresses in the structure. The stresses in the composite laminate at the thermal load of 180°C is nearly nine times the stress at the 30°C in certain conditions.

KEYWORDS:

• Fracture
• SERR
• VCCT
• angle-ply
• thermal loading
• finite element analysis (FEA)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.