Efficient laminated composite beam element subjected to variable axial force for coupled stability analysis

A numerically efficient laminated composite beam element subjected to a variable axial force is presented for a coupled stability analysis. The analytical technique is used to present the thin-walled laminated composite beam theory considering the transverse shear and the restrained warping-induced shear deformation based on an orthogonal Cartesian coordinate system. The elastic strain energy and the potential energy due to the variable axial force are introduced. The equilibrium equations are derived from the energy principle, and explicit expressions for the displacement parameters are presented using the power series expansions of displacement components. Finally, the member stiffness matrix is determined using the force-displacement relations. In order to verify accuracy and efficiency of the beam element developed in this study, numerical results are presented and compared with results from other researchers and the finite beam element results, and the detailed finite shell element analysis results using ABAQUS; especially, the influence of variable axial forces, the fiber orientation, and boundary conditions on the buckling behavior of the laminated composite beams is parametrically investigated.