23rd Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, 8-13 September, 2002, Toronto, Canada
Paper ICAS 2002-3.1.1

GEOMETRICALLY LINEAR/NONLINEAR SANDWICH STRUCTURES WITH ANISOTROPIC FACE SHEETS: THEORY AND BEHAVIOR

L. Librescu, T. Hause
Virginia Poltechnic Institute and State University, USA

Keywords: anisotropic sandwich shells, weak core, postbuckling, load carrying capacity, buckling strength

This paper is focussed on the formulation of a comprehensive geometrically nonlinear theory of shallow sandwich shells that includes also the effect of the initial geometric imperfections. It is assumed that the face-sheets of the sandwich structure are built-up from anisotropic material layers. As a result of its features, the developed structural model can provide important information related to the load carrying capacity of sandwich structures in the pre-and postbuckling ranges. Selected numerical illustrations emphasizing the implications of these non-classical features are presented and pertinent conclusions are outlined.

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