A micromechanics model for the effective Young's modulus of a piecewise-isotropic laminate with wavy patterns

A mathematical model based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory is proposed for predicting the effective Young's moduli of piece-wise isotropic composite laminates with wavy patterns in the main load-carrying layers. Strains in corrugated layers, in-phase layers, and out-of-phase layers are predicted for various geometries and material configurations by assuming matrix layers as elastic foundations. Experimental results obtained from corrugated aluminum specimens and aluminum/epoxy specimens with in-phase and out-of-phase wavy patterns coincide very well with the predictions. The work represents a preliminary effort toward further generalization of the model for two-dimensional anisotropic laminates containing wavy patterns in the main load-carrying layers.