Modeling shear deformability of thin-walled composite beams with open cross-section

The present work formulates a one-dimensional kinematical model capable of assessing the statical behaviour of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) thin-walled beams with open cross-section. The proposed model accounts for the effects of shear deformability. Numerical results computed via finite element method (FEM) are provided and compared with the classical ones predicted by Vlasov’s theory. It is concluded that shear deformability can provoke deflections exceeding the values predicted by the classical thin-walled beam theory. Therefore, the proposed model seems to represent a viable alternative to assess the behaviour of such structures.