Estimation of Composite Laminate Design Allowables Using the Statistical Characteristics of Lamina Level Test Data

A methodology for determining the design allowables of composite laminates by using lamina level test data and finite element analysis (FEA) is proposed and verified in this paper. An existing method that yields the laminate design allowables by using the complete test results for laminates was improved to reduce the expensive and time-consuming tests. Input property samples for FEA were generated after considering the statistical distribution characteristics of lamina level test data., and design allowables were derived from several FEA analyses of laminates. To apply and verify the proposed method, Hexcel 8552 IM7 test data were used. For both un-notched and open-hole laminate configurations, it was found that the design allowables obtained from the analysis correctly predicted the laminate test data within the confidence interval. The potential of the present simulation to substitute the laminate tests was demonstrated well.