Buckling stability of multilayer plates and shells with interfacial structural defects under axial compression

Based on the discrete-structural theory of thin plates and shells, a variant of the equations of buckling stability, containing a parameter of critical loading, is put forward for the thin-walled elements of a layered structure with a weakened interfacial contact. It is assumed that the transverse shear and compression stresses are equal on the interfaces. Elastic slippage is allowed over the interfaces between adjacent layers. The stability equations include the components of geometrically nonlinear moment subcritical buckling conditions for the compressed thin-walled elements. The buckling of two-layer transversely isotropic plates and cylinders under axial compression is investigated numerically and experimentally. It is found that variations in the kinematic and static contact conditions on the interfaces of layered thin-walled structural members greatly affect the magnitude of critical stresses. In solving test problems, a comparative analysis of the results of stability calculations for anisotropic plates and shells is performed with account of both perfect and weakened contacts between adjacent layers. It is found that the model variant suggested adequately reflects the behavior of layered thin-walled structural elements in calculating their buckling stability. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 43, No. 4, pp. 513–530, July–August, 2007.