An Elastic-Plastic Stress Analysis of Symmetric Aluminum Metal-Matrix Composite Laminated Plates under Thermal Loads

In this study, a thermal elastic-plastic stress analysis is carried out on symmetric cross-ply (0°/90°)2 and angle-ply (30°/30°)2, (45°/45°)2, (60°/60°)2 aluminum metal-matrix composite laminated plates. Temperature changes parabolically from T0 up to T0 along the thickness. It is zero on the middle axis. The composite material is assumed to be linear strain hardening. The Tsai-Hill Theory is used as a yield criterion. The elastic-plastic solution is carried out for small plastic deformations. The distributions residual stress components of σ x and σ y are illustrated along the thickness of the laminated plates. All the residual stress moments are in static balance with respect to middle plane of the laminates since they are symmetric in opposite signs.