ANALYSIS OF ORTHOTROPIC COMPOSITE CYLINDERS

Composite materials are being used to solve an ever-increasing variety of engineering problems. One application is to use a filament-wound f iber composite to strengthen cylindrical structures. Research continue s today in an attempt to utilize these composite structures in various areas. Depending on lay-up and cure cycle, large localized stresses c an be generated during processing which could cause defects such as lo ngitudinal wrinkles, layer separation, and micro-cracking. Tools for u nderstanding the thermo-mechanical behavior need to be available to bo th the design and manufacturing engineer. This paper describes techniq ues for calculating the elastic stresses and strains that would be enc ountered as a result of manufacture and utilization as well as some of the associated problems. Certain assumptions are suggested about the material behavior of the resin during cure. Numerical results are obta ined for several cases that show the effects of these assumptions and their relationship to processing defects. The residual stress state du e to processing is predicted. The influences of temperature gradient a nd fiber architecture on the stress fields are examined.