Microbuckling Solution of Elastic Memory Laminates under Bending

Elastic memory composite (EMC) can endure a much higher nominal bending strain than the ultimate strain of reinforced fibers. Experimental studies have confirmed that microbuckling and post-microbuckling response for compressively loaded fibers in the soft matrix are the primary deformation mechanism for EMC to realize a large bending deformation. However, classical buckling solutions developed for hard-matrix composites cannot effectively predict the microbuckling onset and post-microbuckling response of soft-matrix composites under bending. In this study, a simplified 1D solution is proposed by combining matrix shear energy with Timoshenko’s elastic foundation energy. Based on the experiment results of carbon-fiber/resin EMC laminates under bending, the new solution exhibits to be effective in predicting the microbuckling wavelength and the onset of critical compressive stress and strain. In addition, the location of neutral-strain surface and failure modes are also discussed.