Title: Mechanical behaviour prediction of composite laminate beams

Authors: W. Lucier, U. Mohaupt, A. Plumtree

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Abstract: The excellent specific mechanical properties of fibre reinforced plastics have made these materials very attractive in lightweight design. Hybrid composites allow efficient design of components by using a combination of materials whose individual properties meet the demands of the local stress environment. This results in effective material utilization and an associated reduction in material costs. The designer of hybrid composite components is faced with the challenges of selecting a combination of materials and assigning the optimal locations and proportions of the materials to best suit the application. These challenges are explored.

Keywords: composite laminate beams; fibre reinforced composites; lightweight vehicle design; sandwich beams; vehicle design; weight reduction.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.1985.061372

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1985 Vol.6 No.4/5, pp.441 - 447

Published online: 25 May 2014 *

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