Chapter 54: Mechanical properties of FRP composites

This chapter describes a two-step analysis procedure commonly used for the prediction of the mechanical properties of a laminated fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) composite from the properties of the two constituent materials (i.e. the fibres and the matrix) as well as the structure of the composite (i.e. the directions and stacking sequence of the fibres). In this analysis procedure, the first step is to determine the properties of a unidirectional FRP lamina using a micromechanics approach while the second step is to determine the properties of an FRP laminate using the classical lamination theory.