Laminate Analysis and

Overview of Mechanical
Properties of Composites

Members:
Tyrone Ted Abunal
Matthew Francis Lugtu
Kyla Marie Quimat
TOPICS TO BE COVERED

● Types of Laminates
● Laminate Code
● Lamination Theory
● Special Cases of Laminates
TOPICS TO BE COVERED

● Laminate Properties
● Laminate stress analysis
● Mechanical Properties of
Composites
Things we need to know
first:
Definition of Terms

Lamina

● A lamina, or ply, is a plane (or curved)

layer of (a) unidirectional fibers or (b)
woven fabric in a matrix.
● It is an orthotropic material with
principal material axes in the direction
of the fibers (longitudinal), normal to
the fibers in the plane of the lamina
(in-plane transverse), and normal to
the plane of the lamina.
Definition of Terms

Laminate

● A laminate is made up of two or more

unidirectional laminae or plies stacked
together at various orientations.
● Since the orientation of the principal
material axes varies from ply to ply, it is
more convenient to analyze laminates
using a common fixed system or
coordinates (x, y, z)
● At the laminate level, the macro
mechanical analysis is applied in the form
of lamination theory dealing with overall
behavior as a function of lamina
properties and stacking sequence.
Types of Laminates
 1. Based on Pressure Applied:
(a) High Pressure Laminate (HPL)
(b) Low Pressure Laminate (PL)
4. Based on Usage:
(a) Decorative Laminates
2. Based on Thickness: (b) Industrial Laminates
(a) Regular Laminate Sheets
(b) Compact Laminate Sheets
5. Based on Advanced Properties:
(a) Fire Rated Laminate
3. Based on Surface Finish: (b) Anti-Bacterial Laminate
(a) Solid Colored Laminates (c) Outdoor UV Laminates
(b) Gloss Finished Laminates (d) Electrostatic Dissipative Laminate
(c) Matt Finished Laminates
(d) Textured Laminates
(e) Wood Grain Laminates
(f) Metal Laminates
(g) Leather Laminate Sheets
Based on Pressure Applied

(a) High Pressure Laminate (HPL)

➢ High pressure laminates are produced by

attaching the décor paper at high pressure to
the kraft paper. They are commonly fixed by
carpenters over plywood and MDF while making
the furniture. High pressure laminates are
extremely durable and can take heavy loads.

(b) Low Pressure Laminate (PL)

➢ In low pressure laminates, the decorative paper
is soaked in melamine resin, and the laminated
paper is then directly bonded to particle board
or fiber board (MDF and HDF) at low pressure.
 Based on Thickness
(a) Regular Laminate Sheets

➢ The regular laminate sheets have a thickness that

ranges from 0.8 mm to 1.5 mm. These sheets are glued
by carpenters to substrate materials such as plywood
using common adhesives like Fevicol.

(b) Compact Laminate Sheets

➢ Compact laminate sheets have a thickness ranging
from 3 mm to 30 mm. These laminates are
self-supporting and hence do not need to be glued to
woods or any other material. The top and bottom sides
of compact laminate sheets have decorative surfaces.
Based on Surface Finish
(a) Solid Colored Laminates

➢ These are the most common laminate sheets. The

whole laminate sheet is of one solid color. It is
generally used in bathroom vanity and kitchen
countertop.

(b) Gloss Finished Laminates

➢ It is most commonly used in restaurants, hotels,
and in event industry. It also provides a glossy finish
to the décor paper, and can often make the
furniture look more eye catching and stand out.
(c) Matt Finished Laminates
➢ This is a flat finish that gives “matt” effect on the surface of the
laminate. It is more commonly used in corporate areas like large
professional business offices where a subtle but stylish look of
office is desired.
(d) Textured Laminates
➢ Textured laminates are designed such
that you can feel the pattern or texture,
which is printed on the décor paper. For
example, natural materials such as
wood, natural stones, leather, metals,
etc. Also, they give realistic effect to the
furniture. They are most commonly
used for wall cladding and flooring.

(e) Wood Grain Laminates

➢ Wood grain laminates are designed in
such a way that they give aesthetics like
real wood. They are extensively used for
laminate wood flooring. Wood grain
laminates are available in various designs
of hardwoods as well as softwoods.
(f) Metal Laminates

➢ Metal laminates give metallic look to

the surface of furniture. Metallic
laminate is ideal for commercial as
well as residential purpose. It is used
in offices, corporate buildings,
showrooms, etc.

(g) Leather Laminate Sheets

➢ Leather laminate sheets give look of
leather material. Leather laminate
sheets are used in cabinets and other
furniture elements.
Based on Usage

(a) Decorative Laminates

➢ Decorative laminates are hard sheets of
around 1 mm and are widely used to give
finished look to the furniture elements.
They are commonly used to decorate
and protect wooden furniture.
Decorative laminates are manufactured
in a wide variety of colours, designs and
textures. They are generally used in
residential areas to create a decorative
look of the house.
Based on Usage
(b) Industrial Laminates
➢ The industrial laminates have higher strength, higher resistance to
scratches and wear and tear and durable. They are also fire-resistant,
antibacterial and chemical resistant. They have wide application in
industries and hospitals. Circuit boards are made using industrial
laminates.
 Based on Advanced Properties

(a) Fire Rated Laminate

➢ Special fire resistant resin is used to make these
laminates. Fire rated laminate is commonly used
for interior decoration in fire prone applications
like, industry, airports, hospitals, institutions &
banks, kitchens, etc.

(b) Anti-Bacterial Laminate

➢ Antibacterial laminate resist growth of bacteria
and pathogens. These laminates are widely
used in hospitals and restaurants where
hygiene is most important.
 Based on Advanced Properties

(c) Outdoor UV Laminates

➢ Outdoor UV laminates are used to
make billboards.

(d) Electrostatic Dissipative Laminate

➢ Electro static dissipative laminates
are commonly used in electronic
assembly, dust-free environments
for manufacturing of circuit boards
and other work areas like hospitals,
medical offices and laboratories.
Laminate Code
Code of Laminate

● A laminate is made of a group of

single layers bonded to each
other. Each layer can be
identified by its location in the
laminate, its material, and its
angle of orientation with a
reference axis.
● Each lamina is represented by the
angle of ply and separated from
other plies by a slash sign.
● The first ply is the top ply of the
laminate.
Example

[0/–45/90/60/30] denotes the code for the above

laminate. It consists of five plies, each of which has
a different angle to the reference x-axis. A slash
separates each lamina. The code also implies that
each ply is made of the same material and is of the
same thickness.

Sometimes, [0/–45/90/60/30]ᴛ may also denote

this laminate, where the subscript T stands for a
total laminate.
Example

[0/–45/90₂/60/0] denotes the laminate above,

which consists of six plies. Because two 90° plies
are adjacent to each other, 90₂ denotes them,
where the subscript 2 is the number of adjacent
plies of the same angle.
More Examples

[0/–45/60]s denotes the laminate above

consisting of six plies. The plies above the
midplane are of the same orientation, material,
and thickness as the plies below the midplane, so
this is a symmetric laminate.

The top three plies are written in the code, and

the subscript s outside the brackets represents
that the three plies are repeated in the reverse
order.
More Examples

[0/–45/6̅0̅ ]s denotes this laminate, which consists

of five plies. The number of plies is odd and
symmetry exists at the midsurface; therefore, the
60° ply is denoted with a bar on the top.
More Examples

[0Gr/±45B]s denotes the above

laminate. It consists of six plies; the 0°
plies are made of graphite/epoxy and
the ±45° angle plies are made of
boron/epoxy. Note the symmetry of
the laminate. Also, the ±45° notation
indicates that the 0° ply should be
followed by a +45° angle ply and then
by a –45° angle ply. A notation of ±45°
would indicate the –45° angle ply is
followed by a +45° angle ply.
Lamination Theory
In the analysis of isotropic thin plates it has become customary to analyze
the cases of in-plane loading and bending separately. The former case is
described by plane stress elastic theory and the latter by classical plate
bending theory.

The classical assumptions of thin plate theory are :

1. The thickness of the plate is much smaller than the in-plane dimensions.
2. The shapes of the deformed plate surface are small compared to unity.
3. Normals to the undeformed plate surface remain normal to the deformed
plate surface.
4. Vertical deflection does not vary through the thickness; and
5. Stress normal to the plate surface is negligible.
Stress Resultants

Moment Resultants
Relations between the stress and moment
resultants
three (3) matrices equivalent to the necessary
summations,

the stiffness matrix is composed of the following 3x3

matrices:
The combined influence of various types of loads
and moments on laminated plate response using
the ABD matrix
Special Cases of
Laminates
Symmetric Laminates
For symmetric laminates from the definition of [B] matrix, it
can be proved that [B] = 0. Thus, the equation can be
decoupled to give
Cross-Ply Laminates
Angle Ply Laminates
Antisymmetric Laminates
Balanced Laminate
Quasi-Isotropic Laminates
Laminate Properties
Membrane Stresses
Membrane stress means the component of normal stress
that is uniformly distributed and equal to the average
value of the stress across the thickness of the section
under consideration. It is termed as a stress, which is
compressive or tensile and is uniform through the thickness.
Bending Stress
Normal stress that an object encounters when it is subjected to a
large load at a particular point that causes the object to bend and
become fatigued
Thermal expansion
The general increase in the volume of a material
as its temperature is increased. The value to
which the volume increases as reaction to the
increase in temperature.
Moisture expansion
The primary effect of moisture is a volumetric
change in the laminae. When a lamina absorbs
moisture, it expands, and when moisture is lost,
the lamina contracts. Thus, the effect is very
similar to thermal expansion.
Conductivity
The value to which the lamina effectively transfers
heat and/or moisture from the environment.
Mechanical Properties of
Composites
● Arrangement of Fibers
● Arrangement of Matrix
● Combination and Interface Situation
of Fibers and Matrix
Arrangement of Fibers

The fibers or reinforcement will bare

most of the applied load on the
composite.
 Aligned Fibers
The longitudinal tensile strength will be high whereas
the transverse tensile strength can be much less than
even the matrix tensile strength. It will depend on the
properties of the fibers and the matrix, the interfacial
bond between them, and the presence of voids.
 Random Fibers

This is also called discrete, (or chopped) fibers. The

strength will not be as high as with aligned fibers,
however, the advantage is that the material will be
isotropic and cheaper.
 Woven Fibers

The fibers are woven into a fabric which is layered with

the matrix material to make a laminated structure.
Composition of Matrix
The Matrix will support the fiber and
transfer the load to the fiber
 Polymer Matrix composites (PMC)

PMC can resist

atmospheric and other
forms of corrosion, and
exhibit superior
resistance to the
conduction of electrical
current
 Ceramic Matrix composites (CMC)

CMC are designed to

overcome disadvantages
such as low fracture
toughness, brittleness, and
limited thermal shock
resistance, faced by the
traditional technical
ceramics.
 Metal Matrix composites (MMC)

MMCs are fire resistant,

operate in a wide range of
temperatures, do not
absorb moisture, and
possess better electrical
and thermal conductivity
Combination and Interface Situation of
Fibers and Matrix
Determines the efficiency of the load transfer
The interface is the area where the different
materials in a composite coincide. In order to have a
successful, applicable composite, one must form an
interface that is strong and favorable towards maximum
compatibility
Laminate Stress Analysis
Laminate Stress Analysis

● The results of such analyses will be the definition of stress resultants,

bending moments, temperature, and moisture content at any point on
the surface which defines the plate.

● With this definition of the local values of state variables, a laminate

analysis can be performed to determine the state of stress in each
lamina to assess margins for each critical design condition.
Stresses due to
mechanical loads
● To determine stresses in the
individual plies, the laminate
mid-plane strain and curvature
vectors are used. Writing the laminate
constitutive relations a simple
inversion will yield the required
relations for { Ɛ°} and {к}.
Stresses due to
mechanical loads
● By reviewing these relations, it can be
seen that, for the case of symmetric
laminates and membrane loading, the
curvature vector is zero.
● This implies that the laminate
coordinate strains are identical in
each ply and equal to the midplane
strains. The differing angular
orientation of the various plies will
promote different stress and strain
fields in the principal material
coordinates of each ply.
Stresses due to
temperature and moisture
● There are some equations indicated that
thermal loading in laminates can cause
stresses even when the laminate is
allowed to expand freely.
● The stresses are induced because of a
mismatch in thermal expansion
coefficients between plies oriented in
different directions.
● Either the mechanical stresses of the
preceding section or the
thermomechanical stresses can be used
to evaluate laminate strength.
Stresses due to
temperature and moisture
● These relations indicate that the
stresses induced by the free
thermal expansion of a laminate are
related to the differences between
the laminate and ply thermal
expansion vectors.
● Therefore, the stresses are
proportional to the difference
between the amount the ply would
freely expand and the amount the
laminate will allow it to expand.
Netting analysis

● Another approach to the

calculation of ply stresses is
sometimes used for membrane
loading of laminates.
● This procedure is netting analysis
and, as the name implies, treats the
laminate as a net.
● All loads are carried in the fibers
while the matrix material serves
only to hold the geometric position
of the fibers.
Netting analysis

● The laminate stiffnesses predicted with a netting analysis will be

smaller than those predicted using lamination theory, due to the
exclusion of the transverse and shear stiffnesses.
● The stiffness properties predicted using a netting analysis are
approximately 10% smaller than lamination theory predictions.
Netting analysis

● Although the stiffness predictions using netting

analysis are of limited value, the analysis can be used
as an approximation of the response of a composite
with matrix damage. It may be considered as a worst
case analysis and is frequently used to predict
ultimate strengths of composite laminates.
Interlaminar stresses

● The analytical procedures which have been developed

can be used to predict stresses within each lamina of a
laminate.
● The stresses predicted are planar due to the assumed
state of plane stress.
● There are cases where the assumption of plane stress
is not valid and a three-dimensional stress analysis is
required.
Nonlinear stress analysis

● All the preceding material in this chapter has related

to laminae which behave in a linear elastic fashion.
● Composites can behave in a nonlinear manner due to
internal damage or nonlinear behavior of the matrix
material.
● Matrix nonlinearity or micro-cracking can result in
laminae which have nonlinear stress strain curves
for transverse stress or axial shear stress.
Reference

● Agarwal, B.D. and Broutman, L.J., Analysis and Performance of

Fiber Composites, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 1980.
● Hashin, Z., Bagchi, D., and Rosen, B.W., "Nonlinear Behavior of
Fiber Composite Laminates," NASA CR-2313, April 1974.
● Tsai, S.W. and Hahn, H.T., Introduction to Composite Materials,
Technomic Publishing Co., Inc., Westport, CT, 1980.
● Mistry, K. (2020, June 15). Different Types of Laminates & Their Uses.
GharPedia. Retrieved from
https://gharpedia.com/blog/different-types-of-laminates-their-us
es/