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8nd International Conference on Physical and Numerical Simulation of Materials Processing, ICPNS’16
Seattle Marriott Waterfront, Seattle, Washington, USA, October 14-17, 2016

Buckling analysis of laminated composite box beams

1 1 1 1
Domagoj Lanc , Goran Turkalj , Josip Brnic and Igor Pesic
1
Faculty of Engineering, Department of Engineering Mechanics, University of Rijeka,
Vukovarska 58, HR-51000 Rijeka, Croatia

ABSTRACT
Paper presents buckling analysis of thin-walled laminated composite box beam type structures. The nonlinear
displacement field of thin-walled cross-section is adopted in order to insure the geometric potential of
semitangential type for both the internal torsion and bending moments. The cross-section mid-line contour is
assumed to remain not deformed in its own plane and the shear strains of middle surface are neglected. The
laminates are modeled on the basis of classical lamination theory. Analysis is performed in an eigenvalue
manner and it attempts to determine the critical loads as well as corresponding buckling modes in a direct
manner without calculating the deformations. The model is validated on a few test examples comparing the
results with those reported in the literature.
Keywor ds: composite, box beams, buckling

1. INTRODUCTION 2. BASICS
Thin-walled composite beam structures are 2.1. Displacement field
widespread in lot of engineering areas spatially
because of their high strength-to-weight ratio. In this paper, two sets of coordinate systems, which
However due to their slenderness and specific are mutually interrelated, are used. The first
mechanical behaviour such structures are very coordinate system is Cartesian coordinate system
susceptive to instability and buckling failure. (z, x, y), for which z-axis coincides with the beam
axis passing through the centroid O of each cross-
Thinn-walled beam theory was firstly developed by section, while the x- and y-axes are the principal
(Vlasov, 1961)[ and then further accomplished by inertial axes of the cross-section taken along the
(Gjelsvik, 1981) while the theoretical background for width and height of the beam. The second
closed section laminated profiles are given by (Song coordinate system is contour coordinate (z, n, s) as
& Librescu, 1993; Kollar & Pluzsik, 2002; Cortinez & shown in Fig. 1, wherein coordinate z coincident with
Piovan, 2006; and Vo & Lee, 2007). This paper is beam z-axis, the coordinate s is measured along the
partially based on the some of these previouslly tangent of the middle surface in a counter-clockwise
established theories. direction, while n is the coordinate perpendicular to
Numerical model adopted in this paper is based on s. Incremental displacement measures of a cross-
assumptions of large displacements and small section are defined as:
strains, the Euler-Bernoulli-Navier beam bending
theory and the Vlasov torsion theory. The members =wo w= o ( z ) , uo o ( z ) , vo
u= vo ( z ) , 

of thin-walled beam are considered as prismatic and ϕz ( z ), ϕx =
ϕz = −vo′ = ϕx ( z ),  (1)
straight. The model further assume the static and 
conservative external loads. The Clasical lamination ϕy =uo′ = ϕz ( z ), θ = −ϕ z′ = θ (z) 
theory (CLT) is implemented in the model. The where w0, u0 and v0 are rigid body displacements in
stability problem is approached in an eigenvalue z, x and y directions; φ z , φ x and φ y are the rigid-body
manner. rotations about the z-, x- and y-axis while θ is the
warping parameter. The displanement field is
defined as:
 2

T
U uk ={W U V} ={w + w u + u v + v} (2) 1  ∂w   ∂u   ∂v 
2 2 2
η zz=  + + ;
Where w, u and v are standard linear displacement 2  ∂z   ∂z   ∂z   (7)
field components while w , u and v are second order
∂w ∂w ∂u ∂u ∂v ∂v
components due to the large rotations (Turkalj et.al., η zs = + + ;
∂z ∂s ∂z ∂s ∂z ∂s
2011; and Lanc at. al., 2014). I contour coordinate
system (z, n, s), Figure 1., the mid-line contour are ∂w ∂w ∂v
w, u , v , while out of mid-line displacements are e=
zz ; e= + (8)
∂z
zs
∂s ∂z
defined as:
∂u where γ zs is defined as:
w ( z , s, n )= w − n ;
∂z
∂w ∂v F dϕ
∂u γ zs = + =s⋅ z (9)
v ( z , s, n )= v − n ; (3) ∂s ∂z t dz
∂s
In equation above t is tehe wall thickness while F s is
u ( z , s, n ) = u
St.Venant shear flow, for constant wall thickness
defined as:

bht
Fs = (10)
h+b

2.3. Internal forces

The constitutive equation for one lamina is:

σ z   Q11* Q16*   ε z 
=   ⋅
 Q * Q *   γ zs 
(11)
Figure 1 Contour coordinate system τ zs   16 66 

Abeam to contour relation is defined as:

where Q ii* are so called reduced stiffnesses
w = W ( z , s, n ) ; according to (Vo & Lee, 2007). Integrating over the
=v U ( z , s, n ) co sβ + V ( z , s, n ) sin β ; (4) cross-sectional area, the internal beam forces follow
as:
=u U ( z , s, n ) sin β − V ( z , s, n ) co β
s
 F 
=Fz ∫ σ z dn ds; = M z ∫ τ zs  n + s  dnds;
2.2. Strains A A  2t 
Mω = ∫ σ z (ω − nq )dnds; M x = ∫ σ z ( y − n cos β )dnds ; (12)
The strain tensor consist of three parts: A A
M y ∫ σ z ( x + n sin β )dnds;
=
ε ij = eij + ηij + eij ; A

= (
eij 0.5 ui, j + u j ,i , ) 2.4. Finite element
(5)
ηij = 0.5 uk ,i uk , j , Figure 2. presents the two-noded spatial finite
element with 7 DOF per node. The nodal
= (
eij 0.5 ui, j + u j ,i ) displacement and the nodal force vectors are:

with the non-zero components: ( u ) = {w , u , v , ϕ

e T
i i i i zi , ϕ x i , ϕ y i ,θ i } (13)

∂w ∂ 2u ∂ 2u
ezz = γ zs − 2n
− n 2 ; ezs = ; (6)
∂z ∂z ∂s∂z ( f ) = {F
i
e T
zi , Fx i , Fy i , M z i , M x i , M y i , M ω i } (14)
 3

y All beam flanges are four layer laminates with

MyA
stacking sequence [±φ] s . Material parameters are::
FyA
MzA
MωA E 1 = 250.0 GPa, E 2 = 10.0 GPa, G 12 = 6.0 GPa and
FzA ν 12 =0.25. Non-dimensional critical buckling load,
FxA
ϕyB
A
MxA F = FL2 b3t E2 , for flexural buckling modes in x and y
ϕxB vB
x directions with respect to fibre orientation angle φ
uB
B are ploted on Figure 4. together with the results of
l
wB
Vo and Lee [12] for comparison.
ϕzB
z
θB

Figure 2 Box-beam finite element

Applying the virthual work principle on beam finite

element folows:
δUE + δUG = δW , (15)
where δUE and δUG are the potential energy and
geometric potential:

S δe dV ( δu )
∫=
T
=δUE ij ij
e
k eE u e (16)
V

δUG = ∫ S ( δη
V
σ ij ij + δeij ) dV − ∫ t δu dA
Aσ
i i =
(17)
( )
T
= δu e
k u e
G
e

while δW is the virthual work of external forces:

S δe dV ( δu )
∫=
T
=δW ij ij
e
f e. (18) Figure 4 Non-dimensional buckling loads vs fiber orientation
angle
V

In expressions above k eE and k eG are elastic and

geometric stiffnes matrices while f e is the nodal 4. CONCLUSION
force vector.
Paper presents finite element buckling analysis of
thin walled box section laminated beams. Developed
3. EXAMPLE computer code has been verified comparing with the
results available in literature. Very good result
Simply supported beam is axially loaded at cross coincidence is achieved. A further extension of
section centroid by force F. The length oft he beam algorithm is planned to include open section beam
is L = 8 m and the box cross-section has dimensions profiles.
b = 200 mm, h = 100 mm, t = 10 mm, Figure 3.
n
s ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work has been financially supported by the
y University of Rijeka under the project 13.09.1.1.03,
and 13.09.2.2.20 as well as by Croatian Science
h
t x Foundation under the project no. 6876 –
Assessment of structural behavior in limit state
operating conditions. This support is gratefully
acknowledged.
b

Figure 3 Box beam cross-section

4

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