Testing and Finite Element Analysis of Laminated Composites

The field of composites is growing year after year due to the increasing number of applications and new materials developed. Engineered composite materials meet a series of complex issues from an analysis point of view. Numerical tools, such as the Finite Element Method, have evolved dramatically in the last decades, permitting to analyse the challenges from a new perspective. This book explores the mechanical properties and behaviour of a GRP laminated composite material made of short fibres of glass and, polyester resin. Experimental tests were conducted to analyse the mechanical behaviour of the laminate. A more accurate constitutive law has been also developed for this type of composite using a novel homogenisation technique. Finite element analysis are presented which correlated well with the experiments. This book should help to identify the different strategies for the analysis of composites. This could be an excellent reference for practising engineers dealing with composites as well as researchers in techniques and analysis of laminated composites, or anyone interested in applications of the finite element methods to heterogeneous materials.