| Abstract: | A transfer-matrix analysis is presented for determining the static behaviour of thick beams of ‘multimodular materials’ (i.e. materials which have different elastic behaviour in tension and compression, with nonlinear stress–strain curves approximated as piecewise linear, with four or more segments). To validate the transfer-matrix method results, a closed-form solution is also presented for cases in which the neutral-surface location is constant along the beam axis. Numerical results for axial displacement, transverse deflection, bending slope, bending moment, transverse shear, axial force and location of neutral surface are presented for multimodular and bimodular models of unidirectional aramid cordrubber. The transfer-matrix method results agree very well with the closed-form solutions. |
