Buckling analysis of thin-walled laminated composite or functionally graded sandwich I-beams using a refined beam theory

This study presents the buckling and lateral torsional buckling behaviors of thin-walled laminated composite or functionally graded sandwich I-beams. A refined beam model (RBT) based on the 3D Saint-Venant (SV) solution is used in this study to formulate the problem. This model allows for a realistic analysis of beams with arbitrary cross-sections and is free from the limitations of classical beam theories. The displacement models establish a consistent 1D beam theory that accurately captures the essence of the cross-section's nature. The governing models consider cross-section deformations, including in and out of plane warpings and distortions derived from the 3D SV solution associated with the cross-section vibrational behavior. Furthermore, a user-friendly numerical tool called CSB (cross-section and beam analysis) is used to facilitate the implementation of this method. The numerical results are examined in detail and compared with previous works to investigate the influence of boundary conditions, angle-ply, shear effects, span-to-height ratio, and material distribution on the critical buckling loads of thin-walled I-beams. The results demonstrate that the RBT models accurately and efficiently analyze thin-walled I-beams under different loads and boundary conditions. Furthermore, some of the new results are presented as reference values for the future.