Effect of transverse cracks on the elastic properties of high temperature angle-ply laminated composites

The development of transverse cracks can be detrimental to the stiffness and dimensional stability of composite laminates. In this investigation, a modified shear lag analysis, taking into account the concept of stress perturbation function, is employed to evaluate the effect of transverse cracks on the stiffness reduction in high temperature angle-ply laminated composites. The results present well the effect of high temperature and the fibre orientation of the outer layers on the degradation of mechanical properties of the angle-ply polymer composite laminates.