Laminate Code

A laminate is made of a group of single

layers bonded to each other.
Each layer can be identified by its
location in the laminate, its material,
and its angle of orientation with a
reference axis.
Each lamina is represented by the
angle of ply and separated from other
plies by a slash sign. The first ply is the
top ply of the laminate.

The following examples illustrate the laminate code

[0/45/90/60/30] denotes the code for the above laminate. It

consists of five plies, each of which has a different angle to the
reference x-axis. A slash separates each lamina. The code also
implies that each ply is made of the same material and is of the
same thickness.
Sometimes, [0/45/90/60/30]T may also denote this laminate,
where the subscript T stands for a total laminate.

[0/45/902/60/0] denotes the laminate above, which consists of six

plies. Because two 90 plies are adjacent to each other, 90 2
denotes them, where the subscript 2 is the number of adjacent
plies of the same angle.

 [0/45/60]s denotes the laminate above consisting of six plies. The

plies above the midplane are of the same orientation, material, and
thickness as the plies below the midplane, so this is a symmetric
laminate. The top three plies are written in the code, and the
subscript s outside the brackets represents that the three plies are
repeated in the reverse order

denotes this laminate, which consists of five plies.

The number of plies is odd and symmetry exists at the midsurface;
therefore, the 60 ply is denoted with a bar on the top.

 [0Gr/45B] s denotes the above laminate. It

consists of six plies; the 0 plies are made
of graphite/epoxy and the 45 angle plies
are made of boron/epoxy.
Note the symmetry of the laminate. Also,
the 45 notation indicates that the 0 ply
should be followed by a +45 angle ply
and then by a 45angle ply.
A notation of 45 would indicate the 45
angle ply is followed by a +45 angle ply.

Strain-Displacement Equations

The following assumptions are made in the classical lamination theory

Each lamina is orthotropic.
Each lamina is homogeneous.
A line straight and perpendicular to the middle surface remains straight and
perpendicular to the middle surface during deformation
The laminate is thin and is loaded only in its plane (plane stress)
(z= xz = yz = 0).
Displacements are continuous and small throughout the laminate
( u , v , w << h ), where h is the laminate thickness.
Each lamina is elastic.
No slip occurs between the lamina interfaces

Consider a side view of a plate in the Cartesian xyz coordinate system

as shown in Figure. The origin of the plate is at the midplane of the plate,
that is, z = 0.
Assume u0, v0, and w0 to be displacements in the x, y, and z
directions, respectively, at the midplane and u, v, and w are the displacements
at any point in the x, y, and z directions, respectively. At any point other than
the midplane, the two displacements in the xy plane will depend on the
axial location of the point and the slope of the laminate midplane with the
x and y directions.

u=u0-z
=w0 / x
u=u0-z(w0 / x)
v=v0-z(w0 / y)
x =

u
x

x =

- z 2 w0

y=

x2

- z 2w0

y2

xy=u

+ v

xy =

v
x

- 2 z 2 w 0
x y

Mid plane strain

Mid plane curvature

The above equation is strain displacement relation.

The above equation is stress-strain displacement relation.

Symmetric Laminates
A laminate is called symmetric if the material, angle, and thickness of plies
are the same above and below the midplane. An example of symmetric
laminates is [0/45/60]s :

For symmetric laminates from the definition of [B] matrix, it can be proved
that [B] = 0. Thus, Equation can be decoupled to give

Cross-Ply Laminates
A laminate is called a cross-ply laminate (also called laminates with
specially orthotropic layers) if only 0 and 90 plies were used to make a
laminate. An example of a cross ply laminate is a [0/902/0/90]laminate:

For cross-ply laminates, A16 = 0, A26 = 0, B16 = 0, B26 = 0, D16 = 0,

and D26= 0; thus, Equation can be written as

Angle Ply Laminates

A laminate is called an angle ply laminate if it has plies of the same material
and thickness and only oriented at + and directions. An example of an
angle ply laminate is [40/40/40/40]:
If a laminate has an even number of plies, then A16 =A26 = 0.

Antisymmetric Laminates
A laminate is called antisymmetric if the material and thickness of the plies
are the same above and below the midplane, but the ply orientations at the
same distance above and below the midplane are negative of each other. An
example of an antisymmetric laminate is:

The coupling terms of the extensional stiffness matrix, A16 = A26 =0, and the
coupling terms of thebending stiffness matrix, D16 = D26 = 0

Balanced Laminate
A laminate is balanced if layers at angles other than 0 and 90 occur only as
plus and minus pairs of + and . The plus and minus pairs do not need to
be adjacent to each other, but the thickness and material of the plus and
minus pairs need to be the same. Here, the terms A16 = A26 = 0.
An example of a balanced laminate is [30/40/30/30/30/40]

Quasi-Isotropic Laminates
A laminate is called quasi-isotropic if its extensional stiffness matrix [A]
behaves like that of an isotropic material. This implies not only that A11 = A22,
A16= A26 = 0
But also that these stiffnesses are independent of the angle of rotation of the laminate.
The reason for calling such a laminate quasi-isotropic and not isotropic is that the other
stiffness matrices, [B] and [D], may not behave like isotropic materials.It produces using
atleast 3 different ply orientations all with equal angles between them.
Examples of quasiisotropic laminates include [0/60]s, [0/45/90]s, and [0/36/72/36/72]

Governing Diferential
equation of composite
laminate

Consider a composite beam of cross section where the normal load is acting
on the beam on end. The force and moment acting in the mid-plane laminate.
Consider a composite of the beam of any side under the normal load at any
point.
Force and moments acting on the laminate to find the differential equation of
composite laminate for orthotropic and isotropic material.

x z [ S

y z [ S 2

xy z ( S 6

2 w0
x

2 w0
x

2 w0
x

S 12

S 22

S 26

2 w0
y

2 w0
y

2 w0
y

2 S 16

2 S 26

2 S 66

2 w0
xy
2 w0
xy
2 w0
xy

)]
)
)

 2 w0

h/2

Mx

[ z ( S

h / 2

M x ( S
M x ( S
M x ( S

2 w0
x 2
2 w0
x

2 w0
x

2 w0

S 12

S 12
S 12
S 12

2 w0
y 2
2 w0
y

2 w0
y

2 S 16

2 S 16
2 S 16
2 S 16

2 w0
xy

2 w0
xy

)] zdz

h/2

2
z
dz

h / 2

2 w0

h3
h3
)[

]
xy
24 24

2 w0

h3
)[
]
xy
12

lll ly
M

( S 2

M xy ( S 6

2 w0
x

2 w0
x

S 22
S 26

2 w0
y

2 w0
y

2 S 26
2 S 66

2 w0

h3
)[
]
xy
12

2 w0

h3
)[
]
xy
12

let
h3
D ij
12

S ij
M
M
M

xy

[ D11
[ D12
[ D16

2 w0
x

2 w0
x

2 w0
x

D12
D 22
D 26

2 w0
y

2 w0
y

2 w0
y

2 D16

2 w0

2 D 26
2 D 66

xy

2 w0
xy
2 w0
xy

]
]

Taking moment about front edge

M y
M xy
dy
N y dxdy qdxdy
(M y (M y
dy )) dx ( M xy ( M xy
dx )) dy ) 0
2
y
x
M y M xy
Ny

(neglect higher order term )

y
x
lll ly Taking moment about rear edge we get
M x M xy
N x

x
y

Internal pressure= algebraic sum of forces

( N x)
(N y )
x
y
M x M xy
M y M xy
q
[

] [

]
x x
y
y y
x
q

2M x
x

2 M xy
xy

2 M y 2 M xy
2 y

xy

2 w0
2 w0
2 w0
2 w0
2 w0
2 w0
2
2
q
[ D11
D12
2 D16
] 2 [ D12
D 22
2 D 26
]
2
2
2
2
2
xy
xy
x
x
y
y
x
y
2 w0
2 w0
2 w0
2
2
[ D16
D 26
2 D 66
]
2
2
xy

y
x
y

q D11
D12

4 w0
x

4 w0
x y

2 D16

4 w0
x y
3

D12
D 22

4 w0
x y
2

4 w0

2 D 26

2 D16

2 D 26

4 w0
y x
3

4 w0
x 3 y

4 w0
xy 3

4 D 66

4 w0
x 2 y 2

The above equation is governing differential equation for

anisotropic plate with arbitrary orientation of principal material
direction.

D16 D 26 0 For isotropic plate

q D11

4 w0
x

2 D12

4 w0
x y
2

D 22

4 w0
y

4 D 66

4 w0
x 2 y 2