SUMMARY

This thesis studies the design of composite laminates under open-hole compression (OHC), with particular focus on aerospace applications. Composite laminates are studied with two primary motivations. First, the thesis seeks to improve laminates' structural performance from a material design perspective. Second, the thesis promotes the expanded use of composite laminates by improved material characterization and modeling. The research has three primary contributions. - From ply orientation and stacking sequence, the laminates can be designed with improved OHC strength (up to 33%), reduced weight, and improved manufacturing compatibility. - A compact OHC test fixture is developed. It reduces material cost during characterization by 80% for more affordable composite characterization - Three different modeling and simulation approaches are explored and compared, including empirical analysis, Finite-Element Method, and Artificial Neural-Networks (ANN). Overall, all three approaches can be used to model composite laminates accurately. This meeting is also accessible online via BlueJeans: https://bluejeans.com/532217592