Axial loading and buckling response characteristics of pultruded hybrid glass-graphite/epoxy composite beams

The effects of hybridization on the buckling characteristics of flat pultruded glass-graphite/epoxy composite beams has been investigated. Theoretical buckling loads were obtained based on Euler's formulation. Finite element models were constructed with different beam dimensions and end constraint conditions to simulate buckling. Experiments were conducted to verify and validate the theoretical and finite element results. The experimental results were found to be consistent with the theoretical and finite element models. The buckling characteristics of composites showed that buckling strengths improve with increase in graphite fiber content. The improvements were more pronounced when glass fibers were replaced with graphite fibers located in the outer layers of the composite. The effectiveness of hybridization for improving the buckling performance of composite beams is highlighted.