Effects of ply angle and blocking on open-hole tensile strength of composite laminates: A design and certification perspective

The failure strength of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic laminates under open-hole tension varies considerably with ply angle, ply blocking and loading direction. Here, laminates with various standard-angle and non-standard angle stacking sequences are subjected to both on- and off-axis loading in a comprehensive experimental and progressive damage finite element analysis testing campaign. It is found that interlaminar and intralaminar matrix...