INTERLAMINAR STRESSES IN GENERAL LAMINATES WITH STRAIGHT FREE EDGES

An efficient analytical method for calculating interlaminar stress dis tribution near the straight free edges of generally stacked laminates under different types of loading conditions is presented. The variatio n of stresses for each ply are established according to boundary-layer equilibrium equations. All traction boundary conditions at free edges and traction continuity at ply interfaces are satisfied. Although the emphasis is placed on assessing the behavioral characteristics of int erlaminar stresses for unsymmetric laminates, numerical examples for s ymmetric cases are also presented and compared with available data for demonstrating the efficiency and accuracy of this method. All results show high-stress gradients of interlaminar normal and shear stresses near the free edge.