Hygrothermal effects in composites: Influence of geometry and determination of transverse coefficient of thermal expansion

Abstract

This work evaluates the influence of geometric properties, the length-to-width ratio, named Aspect Ratio, on curvatures in [θ − 90/θ] T carbon/epoxy composite laminates at room temperature due to thermal residual stresses. A new method to determine experimentally thermal residual curvatures in composites laminates by defining small-length increments on the surface of deformed plate has been exposed. [–45 4 /45 4 ] T was considered to obtain a simple analytical expression of twisting curvature. A new way to determine transverse coefficient of thermal expansion α 2 is proposed in squared laminates based on experimental values of twisting curvatures of [–45 4 /45 4 ] T laminates.