Experiments and analysis for composite blades under large deflections. I - Static behavior

The static behavior of structurally coupled composite blades is investigated analytically and experimentally in this paper. A model, based on the use of Euler angles, is developed that can account for the presence of arbitrarily large deflections without the need for any ordering scheme. A simple iterative finite-difference solution procedure is then presented. Some experiments using thin flat composite cantilevered beams are also performed, and the data obtained compare well with the results from the analysis.