Analytical Study on the Effect of Stacking Sequence on the Maximum Allowable Heat Flux in Perforated Symmetric Composite Laminates Subjected to Uniform Heat Flux

An analytical solution was used for obtaining the maximum allowable heat flux in symmetric composite laminates containing a quasi-square cutout with different stacking sequences subjected to uniform heat flux. The Tsai-Hill criterion was used to assess the maximum allowable heat flux of the laminate. The analytical solution was obtained based on the thermoelasticity theory and the Lekhnitskii’s method. Furthermore, by employing a suitable mapping function, the solution of symmetric laminates with a circular cutout was extended to the quasi-square cutout. The quasi-square cutout was studied in a symmetric laminate made of Glass/epoxy with different stacking sequences of [0/90]S, [45/-45]S , [30/-30]S. The results showed that the maximum allowable heat flux experienced in perforated plates can be improved by considering the appropriate stacking sequence and the optimal values of the cutout parameters. According to the results, the best cutout geometry was not always a circle, as in some cases by choosing the appropriate values of bluntness parameter, cutout orientation, heat flux angle, cutout aspect ratio and laminate stacking sequence, a non-circular cutout provided higher maximum allowable heat flux value for a perforated plate than a circular cutout.