Tailoring the elastic postbuckling response of thin-walled cylindrical composite shells under axial compression

• Elastic postbuckling in cylindrical shells can be modified and controlled.
• Material stiffness coupling can trigger multiple postbuckling mode jumping events.
• Patterned material/stiffness layouts offer high control of postbuckling response.
• Postbuckling of patterned material designs can have less geometric sensitivity.
• Unilateral constrains increase mode transitions and control postbuckling stiffness.

The buckling of cylindrical shells has long been regarded as an undesirable phenomenon, but increasing interests on the development of active and controllable structures open new opportunities to utilize such unstable behavior. In this paper, approaches for modifying and controlling the elastic response of axially compressed laminated composite cylindrical shells in the far postbuckling regime are presented and evaluated. Three methods are explored (1) varying ply orientation and laminate stacking sequence; (2) introducing patterned material stiffness distributions; and (3) providing internal lateral constraints. Experimental data and numerical results show that the static and kinematic response of unstable mode branch switching during postbuckling response can be modified and potentially tailored.