STATIC SHEAR CORRECTION FACTOR FOR LAMINATED RECTANGULAR BEAMS

Most practical analyses of laminated composite beams, particularly rec tangular sections used in civil structures, are based on first order s hear deformation theories (FSDT), which generally require shear correc tion factors to account for shear stiffness and transverse shear stres s. Using an energy equivalence principle, a general expression for the shear correction factor of laminated rectangular beams with arbitrary lay-up configurations is derived in this paper. A convenient algebrai c form of the solution is presented and validated with existing result s for composite beams and plates. An example is given to illustrate th e use of the present formulation, and a parametric study is conducted to evaluate the effect of number of layers, elastic moduli ratio: and fiber-angle orientation on the shear correction factor for various lam inates.