Progressive Failure Analysis of Laminated Composite Cylindrical Shell Roofs

Abstract

A progressive failure analysis of laminated composite cylindrical roofs under transverse uniformly distributed static loadings has been carried out in the present paper using the finite element method. In the finite element analysis, an eight-noded isoparametric shell elements are taken up. The first-ply failure load and the ultimate ply failure load are evaluated and compared using different stress-based failure criteria. The effect of orientation of fibers in a lamina, stacking sequence, and varying boundary conditions, on the strength of the laminate is carried out. Factors of safety and load factors are suggested based on the values of first and ultimate ply failure loads. The damage progression using the failure criterion corresponding to the first-ply failure load has been shown. The areas of damage are correlated with deflection values through explicit equations so as to get an idea about the damage extents without going into elaborate testing. The results are interpreted from practical engineering standpoint to extract meaningful conclusions.