Abstract

This document presents the results regarding a set of academic benchmark problems for the analysis of the strength of laminated shells subjected to mechanical membrane and bending loads.

Abstract

Basic validation and verification of the laminate's analysis models implemented in a FEA software must consider the assessment of the membrane and bending stiffness characteristics and the membrane and bending strength analysis [1]. The present document addresses the first of these issues (i.e. the membrane and bending stiffness characteristics) to assess the behavior of the classical lamination theory (CLT) implemented in RamSeries. To this aim, the benchmark problems provided in [1] are reproduced. The stiffness matrix characteristics obtained with RamSeries are compared againsts the results reported in [1]. The examples presented here comprise laminates that exhibit no coupling in the stiffness matrix with both, isotropic and orthotropic plies. A number of tests with stacking sequences leading to different forms of coupling are also presented.