ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces a simple and accurate protocol to compute the total strains of plies embedded in circular cylindrical laminates subjected to thermal, hydric and mechanical loadings. The total strains are direct inputs to the unified equation used to compute the load-dependent durability. A simple addition of the mechanical, thermal and hydric strain components gives the total ply strains. This addition is possible, since the three components act in the same ply directions. The protocol is applicable to circular cylindrical laminates subjected to membrane strains. The commercial laminates are laid up at room temperature, combining several plies of glass fibers impregnated with liquid resin. The plies and the laminate remain at the peak temperature (PT) for a while as the resin cures and converts from liquid to solid. The accurate computation of the residual thermal strains at the ply level requires a good knowledge of the stress-free temperature PT.
