Lateral buckling analysis of thin-walled laminated composite beams with monosymmetric sections

Lateral buckling of thin-walled composite beams with monosymmetric sections is studied. A general geometrically nonlinear model for thin-walled laminated composites with arbitrary open cross-section and general laminate stacking sequences is given by using systematic variational formulation based on the classical lamination theory. All the stress resultants concerning bar and shell forces are defined, and nonlinear strain tensor is derived. General nonlinear governing equations are given, and the lateral buckling equations are derived by linearizing the nonlinear governing equations. Based on the analytical model, a displacement-based one-dimensional finite element model is developed to formulate the problem. Numerical examples are obtained for thin-walled composite beams with monosymmetric cross-sections and angle-ply laminates. The effects of fiber orientation, location of applied load, modulus ratio, and height-to-span ratio on the lateral buckling load are investigated. The torsion parameter and a newly-defined composite monosymmetry parameter are also investigated for various cases.