Exact buckling solution for two-layer Timoshenko beams with interlayer slip

This paper deals with the buckling behavior of two-layer shear-deformable beams with partial interaction. The Timoshenko kinematic hypotheses are considered for both layers and the shear connection (no uplift is permitted) is represented by a continuous relationship between the interface shear flow and the corresponding slip. A set of differential equations is obtained from a general 3D bifurcation analysis, using the above assumptions. Original closed-form analytical solutions of the buckling load and mode of the composite beam under axial compression are derived for various boundary conditions. The new expressions of the critical loads are shown to be consistent with the ones corresponding to the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, when transverse shear stiffnesses go to infinity. The proposed analytical formulae are validated using 2D finite element computations. Parametric analyses are performed, especially including the limiting cases of perfect bond and no bond. The effect of shear flexibility is particularly emphasized.