ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a description of the approaches to determine the stress-strain response up to ultimate laminate failure for a laminated composite consisting of orthotropic lamina. The strength of a laminate is discussed in terms of stress or strain distribution within each lamina of the laminate as constrained by a strength or ultimate strain criterion for the lamina. The fundamental building block of composite structures is the laminate concept. The maximum strain criterion should not be confused with the maximum principal strain criterion for isotropic materials. Laminated plate theory assumes that the state of stress within each lamina of a multidirectional laminate is planar: the interlaminar stress components vanish. Laminate static strength is also influenced by the presence of residual stresses, elastic stress concentrations and interlaminar stresses which manifest themselves at the free edges of a laminate.
