Analytical and Finite Element Evaluation for the Buckling Characteristics of Laminated Composite Shells

Abstract

Laminated composite shell panels are increasingly used in engineering applications such as aeronautical, marine and mechanical industries as well as in other fields of modern technology because of its advance mechanical properties. Shell structures are light in weight and have increased structural stiffness as compared to plates. Composite material has increased the performance and reliability of structural systems and addition to that using shell structure further advances it. The advantage of using shell structure is due their curvature their ability to carry loads and bending action increases. Buckling is one of the important mode of failure in engineering designs thus the need to study the buckling in shells arises. If any structure has a region of compression, then there is a possibility of buckling to occur. This study focuses on the analysis of buckling of composite shell structure using higher order shear deformation theory. There are several theories that have been developed regarding the analysis. In this work the mathematical model based on a new inverse hyperbolic shear deformation theory for buckling analysis of composite shells is used. To ensure the accuracy of the mathematical model to be developed Navier type solution incorporated. The equations developed are to be coded in MATLAB for buckling response of composite shell structure. The laminated composite shells are modelled in the finite element framework and compared with the results of closed form solution only for the simply supported condition. The effects of thickness ratio, aspect ratio, curvature ratio, the angle at which the layers are kept, number of layer and the material properties on the buckling responses are to be studied in detail.