Qualitative Failure Analysis on Laminate Structures Using Comprehensive Analytical Linear Elastic Contact Modelling

Abstract eng:
Recently developed completely analytical tools for the modelling of contact problems on thin film structures are adapted to allow the investigation of arbitrarily mixed purely isotropic and transversally isotropic laminate structures under impact loads. The new tool is applied to model a variety of load problems resulting in the failure of windsurfing boards consisting of a relatively thin laminate shell and a soft polymer foam core. It is shown that local impact and distributed bending loads due to “bad landing” after high jumps or contact with parts of the sailing gear (the so called rig) especially the front part of the boom are leading to the most critical stress distributions resulting in failure. So, most of the investigated boards were damaged because the rider (windsurfer) landed flat and thus produced a sudden impact force under his feet (impact defect). Other overloading occurred due to overturning of so called loop movements or the landing of the board exactly on respectively between two waves and this way producing high bending moments. Some of those typical loads are analysed in detail and the stresses occurring in the complex structure of the windsurfing boards are evaluated.

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