The influence of the shear deformations on the local stress state of pultruded composite profiles

Due to the relevance of shear deformability, the practical use of composite profiles still conflicts with the serviceability requirements related to the stiffness demand for civil applications. Moreover, when dealing with shear deformable beams, it is also well recognized that displacement-based 1-D models can lead to inaccurate stress predictions.Hence, a relatively simple beam model allowing to evaluate both strains and stresses accurately may represent a useful tool.The main motivation of the present paper is precisely to investigate these features by presenting relevant numerical results dealing with the mechanical response of pultruded composite profiles with thin-walled open cross-section made of both Glass (GFRP) and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP).Comparisons with solutions given via classical 1-D/2-D mechanical models are also provided, which highlight the accuracy of the proposed kinematics, especially with the aim of a reliable stress evaluation.

► The paper deals with the analysis of the stress state in pultruded composite profiles with thin-walled open cross section.
► Shear deformability has been modeled via additional warping functions.
► The proposed model belongs to the group of one-dimensional models.
► Although its 1-D nature, the model is able to predict with high accuracy the static response of FRP profiles.