Elastic Behavior of Laminate and Sandwich Composites

Abstract

A lamina has been defined as a thin single layer of composite material. A lamina or ply is a typical sheet of composite materials, which is generally of a thickness of the order 1 mm. A laminate is constructed by stacking a number of laminae in the direction of the lamina thickness. The layers are usually bonded together with the same matrix material as in the single lamina. A laminate bonded of n (n = 2) laminae of nearly the same thickness. A sandwich can be defined as a special case of a laminate with n = 3. Generally, the sandwich is made of a material of low density for the inner layer, the core or the supporting pith respectively, and of high strength material for the outer layers, the cover or face sheets. The thickness of the core is generally much greater than the thickness of the sheets and core and sheets are bonded to each other at the surfaces.