Effect of initial tool-plate curvature on snap-through load of unsymmetric laminated cross-ply bistable composites

In this study, the effect of the initial curvature of a tool plate on the snap-through load of square cross-ply bistable composites was analyzed. The snap-through load is a function of the cured curvature and residual moment. In the curing process, both these physical quantities are affected by the initial tool-plate curvature. As a result, the snap-through load can also be changed by adjusting the initial tool-plate curvature. Then, for evaluating its effect on the snap-through load, a snap-through process was simulated by minimizing the total potential energy of the bistable composites through the Rayleigh–Ritz approximation method. The simulation results show that the snap-through load changes linearly with the initial tool-plate curvature. The simulation results are compared with those obtained experimentally and by a finite element analysis (FEA) in order to verify the pre-identified effect of the initial tool-plate curvature.