Thermal cycling influences on compressive deformations of laminate composites

Composite structures always undergo temperature variations in service. In this procedure, the external loading coupled with thermal cycling will lead to their accelerated failures. In addition, the different loadings and microscopic structural parameters also play the important role in nonlinear deformation behaviors. This article presents a coupled thermo‐mechanical micromechanical model for investigating the compressive deformations of composite laminates with consideration of thermal residual stress. To this end, an effective microscopic model with consideration of coupled thermo‐mechanical behaviors for continuous fiber composites was established. The presented micromechanical method was verified by comparing with experimental data. On this basis, thermal cycling and compressive loading effect on effective deformations of unidirectional lamina composites, as well as laminate composites are both considered. It is indicated that thermal cycling tends to decrease stiffness behaviors first then increase stiffness behaviors under compressive loading. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:2908–2918, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers