First-Ply-Failure Analysis of Fiber Reinforced Composite Laminates Based on Universal Generating Function

In view of issues of multivariable, non-normality, nonlinear performance function and failure dependence of risk assessment for fiber reinforced composite laminates, an improved universal generating function approach is put forth in this paper for first-ply-failure analysis. We define universal generating function for resistance of each layer element on the basis of the Tsai-Hill strength theory, and build the reliability analysis model of the laminates according to the first-ply-failure criteria. In the compositional operation of universal generating functions, similar items merging and K-means clustering techniques are used to reduce computational cost. Numerical examples illustrate the application of the approach to composite laminates risk assessment. Analysis results show that the reliability obtained by the proposed approach is closer to the Monte Carlo simulation results than that obtained by conventional first order reliability methods. The new approach can provide a novel and feasible path for the strength reliability analysis of composite laminates.