Buckling and Post-buckling of Composite Plates and Shells Subjected to Elevated Temperature

Abstract

Effects of temperature on buckling and post-buckling behavior of reinforced and unstiffened composite plates or cylindrical shells are considered. First, equilibrium equations are formulated for a shell subjected to the simultaneous action of a thermal field and an axial loading. These equations are used to predict a general form of the algebraic equations describing the post-buckling response of a shell. Conditions for the snap-through of a shell subjected to thermomechanical loading are formulated. As an example, the theory is applied to prediction of post-buckling response of flat large-aspect-ratio panels reinforced in the direction of their short edges.