An alternate method for prediction of the micromechanical properties of laminated composites

The theory for an alternate method to classical laminate theory for the prediction of the macromechanical properties of laminated composite materials is developed and verified by comparing the predicted lamina stresses to those from a detailed finite element calculation. The usefulness of the method is demonstrated by comparing the load-displacement calculation using the equivalent properties to experimentally measured data from a 4-Point bending experiment.