Cylindrical Indentation of Orthotropic Laminates on Elastic Foundations

Problems of cylindrical indentation of orthotropic laminated beams on an elastic foundation are studied. Exact solution methods are developed to assess the displacement field for both the simply supported and clamped-ended cases. A numerical iteration algorithm is established to detect the contact length and the associated contact stresses for a prescribed contact load. The induced interlaminar shear stresses through the thickness and the amount of indentation are evaluated subsequently. The objective is to investigate the effects of span, indentor size, end support conditions, and foundation stiffness on the local field responses and load-indentation relationships. The results show that the effects of indentor size and foundation stiffness are significant. A sharp indentor or stiff foundation tends to localize the contact phenomenon, regardless of the span and the end support conditions. On the other hand, the effects of both the boundary condition and span may be prominent if a blunt indentor and a relatively soft foundation are employed.