Strength property analysis for fiber-reinforced shape memory polymer composite laminate

As a main component of space deployable structure, shape memory polymer composites are exposed to long-term periodic sharp temperature changes. It is necessary to investigate the influence of temperature on strength property of shape memory polymer composites. In this article, a micromechanical strength predication model was developed based on composite bridging model, which was used to define the stiffness matrix and relate the stress increment to the fiber and matrix. Furthermore, the progressive failure strength of shape memory polymer composites was simulated simply based on the properties of the material and the geometric parameters of the laminates. Comparison of the predictions with the experimental measurements was carried out. In general, the overall correlation between the theory and the experiments was reasonable. Furthermore, the model has been applied to predict the transverse strength, axial strength, and in-plane shear strength of different composite laminates (fiber content and ply angle) at different temperatures.