Aims

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.

Main themes

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.

Content and teaching methods

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.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

- Pre-requisites : a course on Theory of Elasticity or Continuum Mechanics.

- 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.

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

Other credits in programs