Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology [A],

Gandipet, Hyderabad-75.
Department of Mechanical Engineering
M.E. (CAD/CAM), I- Mid Exam, 19th April 2016.
Sub: Mechanics of Composite Materials
Time: 2.00 pm-3.00pm Marks: 20
Part-A {6M}
(Answer all the following: 3@2=6M)
1. How is the mechanical advantage of composite measured? Explain.
2. Why are fiber reinforcements of a thin diameter?

For higher ductility* and toughness, and better transfer of loads from
the matrix to fiber, composites require larger surface area of the
fiber–matrix interface. For the same volume fraction of fibers in a
composite, the area of the fiber–matrix interface is inversely proportional
to the diameter of the fiber.

Fibers able to bend without breaking are required in manufacturing

of composite materials, especially for woven fabric composites. Ability
to bend increases with a decrease in the fiber diameter and is
measured as flexibility. Flexibility is defined as the inverse of bending
stiffness and is proportional to the inverse of the product of the
elastic modulus of the fiber and the fourth power of its diameter;

Actual strength of materials is several magnitudes lower than the

theoretical strength. This difference is due to the inherent flaws in
the material. Removing these flaws can increase the strength of the
material. As the fibers become smaller in diameter, the chances of
an inherent flaw in the material are reduced.

3. What do you mean by specially orthotrpic and generally orthotropic lamiana. (1)

4. Write the constitutive equation of a laminate considering hygro-thermal stresses.(1)

Part-B {14M}
(Answer any two of the following: 2@7=14M)

5. Discuss the classification of composite materials along with applications.

1. Determine the elements in the stiffness matrix for an angle-ply lamina containing 60 vol% of T-300
carbon fibers in an epoxy matrix. Consider fiber orientation angle of 45 0 . For the fiber, E f =220 GPa
and ϑ f =0.2, and for the matrix, Em =3.6 GPa and ϑ f =0.35 .
2. State the assumptions made in micromechanics analysis. And derive the expression for
the longitudinal modulus using MOM approach.
3.

4. Discuss edge effects and inter-laminar shear stresses in a composite laminate.

5. Discuss and derive Levi-Navier solution for a rectangular composite laminated plate
simply supported on all edges.

Paper set By: Mr.S.Solomon Raj