Abstract
The objective of the present investigation is to study effects of locations of various shaped (i.e., circular, square and diamond) cutouts on stability and failure characteristics of simply-supported, axially-compressed quasi-isotropic laminate, (+45/-45/0/90)2s using finite element method. The FEM formulation is based on first order shear deformation theory wherein von Karman’s assumptions are used to incorporate geometric nonlinearity. The 3-D Tsai-Hill criterion is used to predict the failure of a lamina, while the onset of delamination is predicted by the interlaminar failure criterion. It is observed that the location of cutout has a significant effect on buckling and postbuckling strength of the laminate. It is also noted that the laminate with cutout centered at a distance greater than or equal to 0.75b (where, b is the width of the square laminate) from the loaded edge has negligible effect on buckling strength of the laminate.