Lamination Theory of Composite Material with Complex Fiber Orientation Distribution

Abstract

A generalized laminated theory is developed to estimate the mechanical behaviors of polymeric composites with complicated fiber orientation states. This theory is intended for application to molded products in which the complicated flow of the fibers occurs during the molding process. We propose a new method which indicates various fiber oriented states by use of an incomplete beta function. Next, a generalized laminated plate theory is presented to analyze the stress-strain relations for fiber composites with complex orientation distribution. The effects of fiber orientation distribution on elastic moduli of these composites are discussed. Finally, the deformation behaviors of molded plates can be estimated by connecting this lamination theory to a finite element method. The numerical results on the deformation under uniaxial loading are shown for composite plates with typical orientation states.