FINITE-ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF A TAPERED COMPOSITE

A tapered laminated carbon-fibre/epoxy composite with a dropped ply su bjected to in-plane bending is modelled in which the strain fields are predicted by a three-dimensional finite element method. The finite el ement results highlight the effect of strain concentrations at the ply drop-off and the free edge problems. The validation of the finite ele ment analysis is performed by strain measurements on a tapered composi te specimen using moire interferometry. Tapered composite specimens we re also tested in situ observation by SEM to establish the causes of f ailure. The implications of the finite element results together with t he test results are discussed in relation to the failure mechanisms of tapered composites.