ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF PULTRUDED FRP SHAPES UNDER BENDING

A comprehensive approach for the analysis and design of pultruded FRP beams in bending is presented. It is shown that the material architect ure of pultruded FRP shapes can be efficiently modeled as a layered sy stem. Based on the information provided by the material producers, a d etailed procedure is presented for the computation of fiber volume fra ction (V-f) of the constituents, including fiber bundles or rovings, c ontinuous strand mats, and cross-ply and angle-ply fabrics. Using the computed V(f)s, the ply stiffnesses are evaluated from selected microm echanics models. The wall or panel laminate engineering constants can be computed from the ply stiffnesses and macromechanics, and it is sho wn that the predictions correlate well with coupon test results. The b ending response of various H and box sections is studied experimentall y and analytically. The mechanics of laminated beams (MLB) model used in this study can accurately predict displacements and strains, and it can be used in engineering design and manufacturing optimization of c ross-sectional shapes and lay-up configurations. The experimental resu lts agree closely with the MLB predictions and finite element verifica tions.