Influence of stacking sequence on flexural properties of hybrid carbon fibre reinforced polymer laminates

Abstract This paper presents a numerical investigation of the influence of the stacking sequence and fibre variation of the plies on the flexural properties of carbon fibre-reinforced polymer laminates. The numerical approach utilised a three-point flexural test to evaluate different quasi-isotropic stacking sequences. It also analysed attempts to reinforce failure-prone plies only using a stronger prepreg material to reduce the cost of the laminate. The results were validated by conducting a cantilever bending test and compared with calculations based on classical lamination theory. The beam deflection, normal stress per ply, and the Puck failure criterion inverse reverse factor per ply were used for evaluation and result comparison. The results showed that the quasi-isotropic stacking sequence [0/90/+45/−45]s is the most suitable for beam applications. Replacement of the outer plies of the composite laminate by a stronger ply material made the hybrid laminate performance almost identical to a pure composite laminate consisting of stronger material only.