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A stress-optic law for photoelastic analysis of orthotropic composites

Stress-optic law postulated by the author is based on a Mohr-circle relationship among birefringence components

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Abstract

The feasibility for utilizing transparent filament-resin composites for photoelastic stress analysis was investigated. Satisfactory photoelastic stress patterns were demonstrated in simple models with undirectional and bidirectional fiber orientations. A stress-optic law was formulated, based on the concept that the birefringence components contributed by each component of plane stress are combined according to a Mohr circle of birefringence. Applying this concept, the difference of the physical and optical principal directions was accounted for, and a general method of photoelastic solution for the plane-stress problem in orthotropic sheets was developed. The method of analysis is little more complex than the well-known procedures for isotropic materials, but at least three experimental measurements are required to characterize the optical response of the material to plane stress.

Partial confirmation of the proposed stress-optic law was obtained by comparison of the theory to limited experimental data obtained in uniaxial-stress samples. It remains to establish a more positive verification by experiments in a variety of biaxial-stress conditions.

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Abbreviations

f :

stress-fringe value, psi-in./fringe

h :

sheet thickness, in.

n :

fringe order

N :

observed fringe order per unit thickness, fringes/in.

N x.y,xy :

fiber-axis-component birefringence, fringes/in.

N p,q :

principal-axis-component birefringence, fringes in.

p :

major principal stress, psi

q :

minor principal stress, psi

x :

fiber longitudinal axis

y :

fiber lateral axis

σ:

normal stress, psi

τ:

shear stress, psi

θ:

stress isoclinic parameter

θ′:

optical isoclinic parameter

References

  1. Dally, J. W. andRiley, W. F., Experimental Stress Analysis, McGraw-Hill, New York, N. Y., 165–167, (1965).

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  2. Timoshenko, S., Theory of Elasticity, McGraw-Hill, New York, N. Y., 16, (1934).

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  3. Pih, H. andKnight, C. E., “Photoelastic Analysis of Anisotropic Fiber Reinforced Composites,”Jnl. Compos. Mater. 3 (1),94–107, (1969).

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  4. Frocht, M. M., Photoelasticity,1,Chapt. 8,John Wiley & Sons,New York, N. Y. (1941).

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Sampson, R.C. A stress-optic law for photoelastic analysis of orthotropic composites. Experimental Mechanics 10, 210–215 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02324034

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02324034

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