POSTBUCKLING BEHAVIOR OF CROSS-PLY LAMINATED CONICAL AND JOINED CONICAL-CYLINDRICAL SHELLS SUBJECTED TO THERMO-MECHANICAL LOADS

摘要

Using Green's strains based on Sanders' approximation, the postbuckling behavior of cross-ply laminated composite conical and joined conical-cylindrical shells subjected to thermo-mechanical loads are studied employing the semi-analytical finite element method. The formulation is based on the first-order shear deformation theory and the field consistency principle. The Newton-Raphson iteration technique coupled with the displacement control method is used for the solution of nonlinear governing equations to trace the pre- and post-buckling equilibrium paths. A small magnitude load spatially proportional to the linear buckling mode shape is employed as asymmetric perturbation to initiate the bifurcation of the shell deformation. The influence of semi-cone angle and number of circumferential waves on prebuckling/postbuckling characteristics of cross-ply laminated conical and joined conical-cylindrical shells are investigated.