Stability and load carrying capacity of thin-walled composite columns with square cross-section under axial compression

The study aimed to analyse the stability and load-carrying capacity of compressed thin-walled composite columns subjected to axial compression. The subject of the survey was composite columns with closed square crosssections made of carbon-epoxy composite. Different lay-ups of the composite material characterised the test specimens - several cases of lay-ups were considered. The application of the subject of the research is closely related to the use of these elements as load-carrying elements of aerospace and building structures. The requirements for such structures are closely related to the provision of a large reserve of load-carrying capacity after buckling. Experimental testing was carried out using a universal testing machine and other testing techniques, where acoustic emission, an optical deformation measurement system, and a digital microscope, among others, were used. Numerical simulations using the finite element method were carried out parallel to the experimental studies. In the case of FEA simulations, original numerical models were developed considering known failure models of the composite material. For both empirical studies and FEM simulations, an in-depth analysis of the buckling and post-buckling states was carried out, considering the failure phase of the composite material. The novelty of the present work was the development of original FEM models, allowing faithful reproduction of experimental studies conducted on physical models, as well as the use of research methods to determine the load-carrying capacity of composite structures.