Abstract

The solution for the buckling problem of composite laminates is usually based on the assumption that the panels are subjected to uniform edge loads without any discontinuity or damage. Nevertheless, in practice, the panels are provided with various sized opening subjected to non-uniform edge loads. Hence in this work, a finite element analysis is carried out to study the buckling behaviour of composite laminates with various sized elliptical openings under non-uniform edge loads. In the FE formulation, the panels are discretised by adopting 9-noded heterosis element and incorporating the effect of shear deformation and rotary inertia. The correctness of the formulation is validated by correlating the results with available literature. The influence of different sized elliptical cutouts on the buckling behaviour is investigated under the compressive and tensile type of non-uniform in-plane edge loads. The effect of various parameters such as cutout size, ply-orientation, ellipse-orientation, boundary condition and panel thickness is included in this work. It is observed from this work that the elliptical vertical cutout has higher buckling resistance as compared to that of the elliptical horizontal cutout.

Keywords:
Laminate; elliptical cutout; non-uniform load; tensile buckling; compressive buckling; 9-noded heterosis element

Graphical Abstract