Buckling and the initial postbuckling behavior of cylindrical shells made of composites with one plane of symmetry

A method for calculating the buckling stability of layered cylindrical shells made of composite materials with one plane of symmetry of mechanical characteristics is worked out. As a special case, shells made of fibrous materials by winding in directions not coinciding with coordinate axes are considered. An analysis of stability of shells under an axial compression, external pressure, and torsion is carried out. It is shown that, at a great number of layers and appropriate reinforcing angles, the shells can be considered orthotropic. The solution to the problem of the initial postbuckling behavior of shells made of composites with one plane of symmetry is also obtained. It is found that shells of this type can be less sensitive to geometrical imperfections. This fact is important from the practical point of view. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 213–236, March–April, 2007.