MASTER MECANIQUE – M1 MECANIQUE DES SOLIDES & COMPMECH – SORBONNE UNIVERSITE

COLLABORATIVE CLASSES WITH POLITECNICO DI MILANO

COMPOSITE MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES

EXERCICES: REPRESENTATION OF ANISOTROPIC ELASTICITY

Exercice 1 – Composite pressure vessel.

We consider a cylindrical pressure vessel (a simplified geometry is a cylindrical recipient, of
diameter D = 64 cm and thickness e = 0.1 D, closed at its ends) built by filament winding of a
fiber-reinforced carbone/epoxy composite material. The material is orthotropic, with elastic
constants : E1 = 140 MPa ; E2 = 10 MPa ; G12 = 7 MPa ; and: ν12 = 0.3. The fibers are wound
around the mandrel following the angle θ = 53°.
The recipient is submitted to internal pressure p = 1380 MPa.

y
θ y
θ
x x

z
The figure represents the global geometry of the structure and a detail of the recipient wall:
axes x and y stand for the axial and circunferential directions, respectively.
Calculate the state of stress in the vessel wall, far from the extremities, as function of p, D and
e. Express the stress components in the material reference frame (composite orthotropy axes).
Calculate the related state of strain.

Exercice 2 – Elastic constants of an orthotropic material: mechanical tests in the

orthotropy axes and off the orthotropy axes
We consider a UD fiber-reinforced composite lamina. The elastic linear behaviour is
characterised by transverse isotropy in the plane perpendicular to the fiber orientation.
We fix the reference frame such that plane OX1X2 coincides with the plane of the lamina, and
axes OX1 and OX2 are parallel and orthogonal to the direction of fibers, respectively.
1. Write the general expressions of stiffness [C] and compliance [S] matrices in Voigt
notation in the chosen reference frame.
2. In order to characterise the material elastic properties, we perform the necessary
mechanical tests: first, a unidirectional traction is applied in the direction OX1. Calculate
the resulting strain and establish the corresponding elastic constants (moduli and
coefficients), as well as their relations with the compliance Cartesian components.
3. Repeat the study for a test of unidirectional traction in the direction of axis OX2.
4. Finally, a shear test is applied in the plane OX1X2. Calculate the resulting strain
components and establish the related engineering constants and their relations with
Cartesian components of compliance.
5. Conclude on the overall number of tests that are necessary to completely characterise the
3D elastic behaviour of the material.
6. We consider now a new reference frame Ox1x2x3 which is obtained by rotating OX1X2X3
of an angle δ around the vertical axis OX3. Calculate the strain components when a
unidirectional traction is applied along the direction Ox1, as well as in the case of a shear
test in the plane Ox1x2. Establish the related engineering constants and their relations with
the compliance Cartesian components.