Mechanical behaviour prediction of composite laminate beams

The excellent specific mechanical properties of fibre reinforced plastics have made these materials very attractive in lightweight design. Hybrid composites allow efficient design of components by using a combination of materials whose individual properties meet the demands of the local stress environment. This results in effective material utilization and an associated reduction in material costs. The designer of hybrid composite components is faced with the challenges of selecting a combination of materials and assigning the optimal locations and proportions of the materials to best suit the application. These challenges are explored.