{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T01:13:01Z","timestamp":1775092381626,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,16]],"date-time":"2024-05-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1715817600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia","award":["CEECIND\/03276\/2018"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CEECIND\/03276\/2018"]}]},{"name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia","award":["PTDC\/EME-EME\/2728\/2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PTDC\/EME-EME\/2728\/2021"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Materials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The use of thin-ply composite materials has rapidly increased due to their tailorable mechanical properties and design flexibility. Considering an adhesively bonded composite joint, peel stress stands out as a key contributor leading to failure among other primary stress factors. Therefore, the reinforcement of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates throughout the thickness could be considered as an approach to improve the joint strength. Using thin plies locally between the conventional CFRP layers in a laminate can enhance the strength, as the sudden change in stiffness means that the load transfer is not monotonous. Consequently, the following study examined the effect of altering thin plies gradually throughout the thickness on the behaviour of the CFRP laminates when subjected to transverse tensile loading. To achieve this goal, the CFRP laminates were gradually modified by using different commercially accessible prepreg thin plies, leading to an improved overall structural performance by reducing stress concentrations. Besides conducting an experimental study, a numerical assessment was also carried out utilizing Abaqus software with a Representative Volume Element (RVE) at the micro scale. The comparison of reference configurations, which involved various thin plies with different thicknesses and traditional CFRP laminates, with the suggested gradual configuration, demonstrated a notable enhancement in both strength and material cost. Furthermore, the proposed RVE model showed promising capability in accurately forecasting the strength of fabricated laminates.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ma17102388","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,16]],"date-time":"2024-05-16T06:44:31Z","timestamp":1715841871000},"page":"2388","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Study of CFRP Laminate Gradually Modified throughout the Thickness Using Thin Ply under Transvers Tensile Loading"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Hossein","family":"Malekinejad","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancia e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI), Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Farin","family":"Ramezani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancia e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI), Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1933-0865","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ricardo J. C.","family":"Carbas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancia e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI), Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Departamento de Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica, Faculdade de Engenharia (FEUP), Universidade Do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Eduardo A. S.","family":"Marques","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica, Faculdade de Engenharia (FEUP), Universidade Do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3272-4591","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lucas F. M.","family":"da Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica, Faculdade de Engenharia (FEUP), Universidade Do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"467","article-title":"Effect of core shape on debonding failure of composite sandwich panels with foam-filled corrugated core","volume":"45","author":"Malekinejadbahabadi","year":"2022","journal-title":"Steel Compos. Struct."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"(2024, May 12). An Introduction to Composite Materials\u2014T. W. Clyne, D. Hull\u2014Google Books. Available online: https:\/\/books.google.pt\/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4oKWDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=composite+materials&ots=YWTX1AIfDs&sig=qPi1iSBmZxfKpWJFhl2LLSuNat0&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=compositematerials&f=false."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"44","DOI":"10.1016\/S1369-7021(03)00430-9","article-title":"Activities in biocomposites","volume":"6","author":"Nickel","year":"2003","journal-title":"Mater. Today"},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"91","article-title":"Investigation of skin\/core debonding effects on the natural frequencies of composite sandwich structures using experimental and numerical modal analysis","volume":"5","author":"Bahabadi","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Sci. Technol. Compos."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Vasiliev, V.V., and Morozov, E.V. (2007). Advanced Mechanics of Composite Materials. Adv. Mech. Compos. Mater.","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-008045372-9\/50004-X"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1672","DOI":"10.1002\/pc.27196","article-title":"A study of the fracture mechanisms of hybrid carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates reinforced by thin-ply","volume":"44","author":"Ramezani","year":"2023","journal-title":"Polym. Compos."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Adams, R.D., da Silva, L.F.M., and \u00d6chsner, A. (2018). Handbook of Adhesion Technology: Second Editio, Springer Nature.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-55411-2"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"155","DOI":"10.1115\/1.3119500","article-title":"Impact on Laminated Composite Materials","volume":"44","author":"Abrate","year":"1991","journal-title":"Appl. Mech. Rev."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Su, K. (1989). Delamination Resistance of Stitched Thermoplastic Matrix Composite Laminates, ASTM.","DOI":"10.1520\/STP24608S"},{"key":"ref_10","first-page":"163","article-title":"Physically based damage models for laminated composites","volume":"217","author":"McCartney","year":"2003","journal-title":"Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Part L J. Mater. Des. Appl."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"438","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compstruct.2017.11.072","article-title":"A strategy to improve the structural performance of non-crimp fabric thin-ply laminates","volume":"188","author":"Arteiro","year":"2018","journal-title":"Compos. Struct."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"K\u00f6tter, B., Karsten, J., K\u00f6rbelin, J., and Fiedler, B. (2020). CFRP Thin-Ply Fibre Metal Laminates: Influences of Ply Thickness and Metal Layers on Open Hole Tension and Compression Properties. Materials, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/ma13040910"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"996","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compscitech.2006.06.008","article-title":"Experimental studies of thin-ply laminated composites","volume":"67","author":"Sihn","year":"2007","journal-title":"Compos. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"121","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compscitech.2014.06.027","article-title":"Thin ply composites: Experimental characterization and modeling of size-effects","volume":"101","author":"Amacher","year":"2014","journal-title":"Compos. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4318","DOI":"10.1002\/pc.25714","article-title":"Prediction on electrical resistivity of thin-ply unidirectional composites considering electric tunnel effect","volume":"41","author":"Zhang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Polym. Compos."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2615","DOI":"10.1002\/pc.26561","article-title":"Thermal oxidative aging of satin weave and thin-ply polyimide composites","volume":"43","author":"Petkov","year":"2022","journal-title":"Polym. Compos."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1907","DOI":"10.1016\/S0020-7683(03)00024-6","article-title":"A unified periodical boundary conditions for representative volume elements of composites and applications","volume":"40","author":"Xia","year":"2003","journal-title":"Int. J. Solids Struct."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"361","DOI":"10.1002\/nme.2074","article-title":"Toward realization of computational homogenization in practice","volume":"73","author":"Yuan","year":"2008","journal-title":"Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"299","DOI":"10.1016\/0020-7683(89)90050-4","article-title":"A plastic-damage model for concrete","volume":"25","author":"Lubliner","year":"1989","journal-title":"Int. J. Solids Struct."},{"key":"ref_20","first-page":"892","article-title":"Plastic-Damage Model for Cyclic Loading of Concrete Structures","volume":"124","author":"Jeeho","year":"1998","journal-title":"J. Eng. Mech."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"467","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compscitech.2018.08.037","article-title":"Towards aerospace grade thin-ply composites: Effect of ply thickness, fibre, matrix and interlayer toughening on strength and damage tolerance","volume":"168","author":"Cugnoni","year":"2018","journal-title":"Compos. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Malekinejad, H., Carbas, R.J.C., Akhavan-Safar, A., Marques, E.A.S., Sousa, F.C., and da Silva, L.F.M. (2023). Enhancing Fatigue Life and Strength of Adhesively Bonded Composite Joints: A Comprehensive Review. Materials, 16.","DOI":"10.3390\/ma16196468"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Costa, R.D.F.S., Sales-Contini, R.C.M., Silva, F.J.G., Sebbe, N., and Jesus, A.M.P. (2023). A Critical Review on Fiber Metal Laminates (FML): From Manufacturing to Sustainable Processing. Metals, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/met13040638"},{"key":"ref_24","first-page":"7374S","article-title":"Recent trend in developing advanced fiber metal laminates reinforced with nanoparticles: A review study","volume":"51","author":"Aghamohammadi","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Ind. Text."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1223","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compscitech.2012.04.008","article-title":"Intraply fracture of fiber-reinforced composites: Microscopic mechanisms and modeling","volume":"72","author":"Canal","year":"2012","journal-title":"Compos. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"82","DOI":"10.1016\/j.commatsci.2012.12.036","article-title":"A virtual framework for prediction of full-field elastic response of unidirectional composites","volume":"70","author":"Okereke","year":"2013","journal-title":"Comput. Mater. Sci."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ramezani, F., Carbas, R., Marques, E.A.S., Ferreira, A.M., and da Silva, L.F.M. (2023). Study on out-of-plane tensile strength of angle-plied reinforced hybrid CFRP laminates using thin-ply. Mech. Adv. Mater. Struct., 2859\u20132872.","DOI":"10.1080\/15376494.2023.2165742"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"146","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compositesa.2016.06.018","article-title":"Computational micromechanics of the transverse and shear behavior of unidirectional fiber reinforced polymers including environmental effects","volume":"92","author":"Naya","year":"2017","journal-title":"Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf."},{"key":"ref_29","unstructured":"Naya, F. (2017). Prediction of Mechanical Properties of Unidirectional FRP Plies at Different Environmental Conditions by Means of Computational Micromechanics. [Ph.D. Thesis, University of Madrid]."},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"ABAQUS (2021, September 24). Abaqus 6.14 Documentation. Abaqus 6.14 Analysis User\u2019s Guide. Available online: http:\/\/62.108.178.35:2080\/v6.14\/index.html."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"484","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compositesa.2016.02.026","article-title":"Computational micromechanics evaluation of the effect of fibre shape on the transverse strength of unidirectional composites: An approach to virtual materials design","volume":"91","author":"Lopes","year":"2016","journal-title":"Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1225","DOI":"10.1111\/ffe.13425","article-title":"In situ strength analysis of cross-ply composite laminates containing defects and interleaved woven layer using a computational micromechanics approach","volume":"44","author":"Rafie","year":"2021","journal-title":"Fatigue Fract. Eng. Mater. Struct."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106987","DOI":"10.1016\/j.engfracmech.2020.106987","article-title":"Investigation of debonding growth between composite skins and corrugated foam-composite core in sandwich panels under bending loading","volume":"230","author":"Bahabadi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Eng. Fract. Mech."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"439","DOI":"10.1016\/0266-3538(96)00005-X","article-title":"Measurement of mixed-mode delamination fracture toughness of unidirectional glass\/epoxy composites with mixed-mode bending apparatus","volume":"56","author":"Benzeggagh","year":"1996","journal-title":"Compos. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_35","unstructured":"(2024, May 12). MIP.4 FULL Software. Available online: https:\/\/metsofts.ir\/products\/MIP\/MIP%20Catalog-Medium.pdf."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111920","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compstruct.2020.111920","article-title":"Thin-ply composite laminates: A review","volume":"236","author":"Galos","year":"2020","journal-title":"Compos. Struct."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"667","DOI":"10.1016\/S0167-6636(99)00020-4","article-title":"On two micromechanics theories for determining micro\u2013macro relations in heterogeneous solids","volume":"31","author":"Hori","year":"1999","journal-title":"Mech. Mater."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"493","DOI":"10.1016\/S0167-6636(98)00073-8","article-title":"Averaging theorems in finite deformation plasticity","volume":"31","year":"1999","journal-title":"Mech. Mater."}],"container-title":["Materials"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1996-1944\/17\/10\/2388\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T14:43:15Z","timestamp":1760107395000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1996-1944\/17\/10\/2388"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,16]]},"references-count":38,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5]]}},"alternative-id":["ma17102388"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ma17102388","relation":{},"ISSN":["1996-1944"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1996-1944","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,16]]}}}