Effect of Fiber Orthotropy on Effective Composite Properties

Classical form analytical expressions are presented for four of the five effective elastic constants of a transversely isotropic composite material containing ortho-tropic fibers. Circumferentially and radially orthotropic fibers are considered. The properties of composites with orthotropic fibers are compared to those with isotropic and transversely isotropic fibers. It is shown that the morphology of the fiber can have a significant effect on composite properties. It is also shown that fiber morphology has a significant effect on the stress distributions in a composite cylinder.