Mechanics of composite materials. [ LMECA2640 ]

> https://icampus.uclouvain.be/claroline/course/index.php?cid=LMECA2640

A course on Theory of Elasticity or Continuum Mechanics.

Composite materials, especially fiber-reinforced ones, are increasingly used in numerous industrial sectors (e.g., aerospace, automotive, sporting equipment) where the technological advances require combined properties that no classical homogeneous material has. The objective of this course is to introduce the students to the methods of analysis and computation which enable the design of structures or products made of composite materials. This is why the course will develop micro-mechanically based approaches, anisotropic elasticity, the theory of laminates, etc.

Introduce the students to the basic concepts of the mechanics of composite materials in order to enable them to design structures and products made of those advanced materials.

Examination : written or oral. Final grade: 50% examination and 50% mini-projects.

Mini-project 1 : solving a simple problem with analytical methods.

Mini-project 2 : design of composite materials or structures using commercial software.

Mini-project 3 : read and comment a scientific article.

Chap. 1 Composite materials: types, properties, applications, fibers, matrices, forming processes.

Chap. 2 Micro-mechanics approaches (homogenization theories).

Chap. 3 Anisotropic elasticity.

Chap. 4 Behavior of a single layer (micro- and macro-mechanics).

Chap. 5 Classical laminate theory: constitutive equations, strength criteria, simple computation methods, inter-laminar stresses and edge effects.

Chap. 6 Bending, vibration and buckling of anisotropic laminated plates. Basic equations and energy methods (finite elements).

Chap. 7 Hygro-thermo-elasticity.

Chap. 8 Experimental methods for material properties measurement.