Tom,

I agree with George that your basic approach is as good as any. You might like to consider some inexpensive programs for composite laminate analysis. Right now, I have two programs on my computer that, although I have had precious little time to get to know them, appear to have all the basic stuff for analysis, including different failure criterion. One is CADEC, which is companion software for “Introduction to Composite Materials Design” by Ever J. Barbero. I also like the book. Around $70 gets you the book and the right to download CADEC from the web. The other program is The Laminator, which you can down load for aboout $20. The Laminator is pretty simple, but it still lets you do micromechanics and has failure criterion. Check out the link for Laminate Analysis Software.

Keep us posted.

Sam