Composite Shells
Composites are a combination of two or more materials that have different
properties macroscopically. The
number of material phases are usually two and are not soluble in one another.
One is the reinforcing phase (e.g. carbon or glass fiber, silica particles)
and the other is the matrix phase (e.g. epoxy, vinyl ester) in which the
reinforcing phase is dispersed. They can be classified into continuous
fiber composites, short fiber composites, and particulate composites.
There are three types of composite options to define the arrangement
of plies, thicknesses, material properties, and orientations.

A symmetric laminate has a symmetric arrangement
of plies (materials, ply orientations, and thicknesses) about the mid-surface.
This implies symmetric ply thicknesses, material properties, and material
orientations about the mid-plane.

The sandwich composite
is a special case of the symmetric laminate with three layers. You can
use such laminates when higher resistance to bending loads is required.
The outer two plies are recommended to be stiffer, stronger, and thinner
than the middle ply.

You can use a composite shell for structural members in which you require
weight savings. Composite shells also offer improved fatigue strength,
corrosion resistance, and thermal conductivity.
You can process models with composite shells in the following ways:
Shell Definition
Ply Stacking Sequence
Ply Angle
Results
In this section you will learn about the following topics: