A semi-analytical model for predicting nonlinear tensile behaviour of corrugated flexible composite skin

Abstract This paper seeks to present a semi-analytical model for predicting the nonlinear tensile properties of corrugated flexible composite skin (FCS) within large deformation range based on iterative integration procedure. The FCS is constructed with two thin-walled curved fibre-reinforced-plastics (FRP) composite shells with a biaxially symmetrical lenticular cross-section, which can be stretched largely along the corrugated direction through pure elastic deformation. Analytical formulations for tensile stiffness of the FCS are derived based on the unit virtual load method, and geometrical equations are established to describe tensile deformation of the FCS. By means of linear elastic and strain energy theory, new geometry and tensile force increment of extended FCS are calculated at a given small increment of tensile displacement. In order to obtain the tensile behaviour of the FCS within large deformation range, semi-analytical model is presented by using the iterative calculation, and then is verified from experiments. Finally, the effect of the geometry on tensile behaviour of the FCS is analyzed numerically.