Investigations of fml profile buckling and post-buckling behaviour under axial compression

• Investigation of buckling and load carrying capacity of thin-walled Fibre Metal Laminates members.
• Application of three different methods of analyses.
• Comparison of results determined from three different approaches.
• Application of obtained conclusions for modelling buckling response of FML profiles.
• Validation of numerical method for engineering application.

The buckling and post-buckling behaviour of thin-walled Fibre Metal Laminate (FML) profiles subjected to axial loading is discussed. Study concerns open cross-section profiles which consist of alternating thin layers of aluminium and fibre-reinforced unidirectional prepreg. Laboratory tested specimens were manufactured by autoclaving technique. Depending on fibres alignment, various 3/2-layer stacking were considered and subjected to axial compression in buckling tests. Carrying out an experiment allowed one to determine buckling load and equilibrium paths in buckling and post-buckling state. The results of substantial experimental investigations were compared with FML panel/columns modelling in FEA and with analytically examined based on Koiter's asymptotic theory. In conducted experiments the careful design of simply support boundary conditions of loaded edges of thin-walled columns is examined and discussed. Detailed analysis was also performed to assess the influence of the various fibres alignment on the specimen buckling and post-buckling response.