Abstract
In this study, the distributions of microscopic stresses at a free edge of a cross-ply carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminate are analyzed three-dimensionally based on a homogenization theory. For this, the mathematical homogenization theory for elastic materials is reconstructed for CFRP laminates with free edges using a traction free boundary condition. This theory is then applied to the analysis of microscopic stress distributions at a free edge of a cross-ply CFRP laminate subjected to in-plane uniaxial tension. It is shown that microscopic in-plane shear stresses noticeably occur at the interlaminar area between 0 ° - and 90 ° - plies, especially around the free edge.
