Date of Award

Fall 1996

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Program/Concentration

Engineering Mechanics

Committee Director

R. Prabhakaran

Committee Director

James H. Starnes, Jr.

Committee Member

Gene J.-W. Hou

Call Number for Print

Special Collections; LD4331.E57 W37

Abstract

The results of an experimental and analytical study of selected composite cylinders loaded in axial compression beyond buckling are presented. A comparison is made of buckling loads predicted by a nonlinear finite element code and those obtained from laboratory experiments. The initial geometric imperfections for each specimen were defined mathematically for inclusion in the finite element model. The experimental effort consisted of testing five graphite-epoxy cylindrical specimens. Four of the specimens were 16 plies thick; one of these had quasi-isotropic wall properties, another consisted entirely of angle plies, while the remaining specimens of this wall thickness were of two different orthotropic wall constructions. A fifth specimen was 8 plies in wall thickness with quasi-isotropic wall properties. All specimens had the same length and the same nominal radius. A detailed discussion of the strategies required for successful buckling and post-buckling analyses is presented. Difficulties in obtaining accurate post-buckling patterns encountered in the early analyses are discussed. The use of a nonlinear transient analysis algorithm near the limit point helped overcome these difficulties and yielded solutions very similar to those observed during the experiments.

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DOI

10.25777/tq2y-ax55

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