Nonlinear large deflection buckling analysis of compression rod with different moduli

Many novel materials exhibit a property of different elastic moduli in tension and compression. One such material is graphene, a wonder material, which has the highest strength yet measured. Investigations on buckling problems for structures with different moduli are scarce. To address this new problem, first, the nondimensional expression of the relation between offset of neutral axis and deflection curve is derived based on the phased integration method, and then using the energy method, load-deflection relation of the rod is determined; second, based on the improved constitutive model for different moduli, large deformation finite element formulations are developed, and combined with the arc-length method, finite element iterative program for rods with different moduli is established to obtain buckling critical loads; third, material mechanical properties testing of graphite, which is the raw material of graphene, is performed to measure the tensile and compressive elastic moduli; moreover, buckling tests are also conducted to investigate the buckling behavior of this kind of graphite rod. By comparing the calculation results of the energy method and finite element method with those of laboratory tests, the analytical model and finite element numerical model are demonstrated to be accurate and reliable. The results show that it may lead to unsafe results if the classic theory was still adopted to determine the buckling loads of those rods composed of a material having different moduli. The proposed models could provide a novel approach for further investigation of nonlinear mechanical behavior for other structures with different moduli.