NASA Reference Publication 1351 Basic Mechanics of Laminated Composite Plates AT. Nettles October 1994NASA Reference Publication 1351 Basic Mechanics of Laminated Composite Plates ALT. Nettles Marshall Space Flight Center * MSFC, Alabama National Aeronautics and Space Administration Marshall Space Flight Center + MSFC, Alabama 35812 a October 1994UL. ML. WV. Vi. VIL TABLE OF CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION ‘A. Intent and Scope B. Terminology and Notation C. Summary of Sections .. GENERALIZED HOOKE’S LAW FOR NONISOTROPIC MATERIALS ... ‘A. Normal Stress and Strain, Uniaxially Applied Force.. B. Stress and Strain, Plane Stress for Specially Orthotropic Plate ‘in, Plane Stress for Generally Orthotropic Plates......... D. Invariant Stiffnesses.. 5 MECHANICS OF LAMINATED COMPOSITES Assumptions... Definitions of Strains and Displacements Definitions of Stress and Moment Resultants Constitutive Equations for a Laminate.... : Physical Meanings of the [A], [B], and [D] Matrices. MOODD> NOMENCLATURE FOR DEFINING STACKING SEQUENCES... A. Coordinate System B. Nomenclature .......... IN-PLANE ENGINEERING CONSTANTS FOR THE LAMINATE... ‘A. Orientation of the Laminate . B. Symmetric Laminates C. Nonsymmetric Laminates..... D. Summary ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS .. A. Importance . B. Coefficients of Thermal Expan C. Moisture Effects... STRESSES AND STRAINS WITHIN LAMINAE OF A SYMMETRIC LAMINATE. oscsrce sree even A. Strains Within the Laminae. B. Stresses Within the Laminae. iii 28 28 28 33 4B 43 43 45 46 50