Orthotropic Laminates on Elastic Foundation under Transverse Force

Abstract

An indentation problem of infinite specially orthotropic laminates on an elastic foundation is solved. The applied load is taken to be uniformly distributed over a finite but small rectangular area. Friction between the laminate and foundation is neglected. The Fourier transform technique is used to formulate and solve the problem in the Fourier domain. The inverse transformation is performed by using the Gaussian integration scheme, in which symmetry of the transformed responses due to material orthotropy is employed. Distributions of interlaminar normal and shear stresses in the vicinity of the applied load are found and the variation of the stresses through the thickness in the interior and at the layer interfaces is displayed. Dependence of the stress components on the material orthotropy is found. The effect of the foundation stiffness on the interlaminar normal stress is also investigated.