The laminate bearing analysis compares the applied bearing stress to the laminate bearing allowable. For a successful bearing analysis, bearing stress allowables are required for each ply material in the laminate. The laminate bearing stress allowables are defined on the Laminate Allowables tab of the Orthotropic Material form.
The laminate allowables are defined as a function of fiber orientation. Laminates with higher percentages of 45 degree plies have an increased ability to redistribute loads around discontinuities, such as holes. Consequently, as the percentage of 45 degree fibers increases in the laminate, the bearing stress allowable generally increases.
Other geometric and environmental factors, such as laminate thickness and reference temperature, may degrade the bearing strength. To include these effects, correction factors can be applied to the laminate stress allowables.
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