Buckling analysis of members restrained by sandwich panels

An analytic method is presented for the analysis of flexural restraint of members by sandwich panels. Using the method, which is based on the solutions of the fourth order differential equations, the restraint effect of sandwich panels can be approximated in practical cases. The reliability of the method is shown based on tests and finite element analyses. New results are shown using the analytic method for buckling cases and for P-δ analysis in the elastic range. The exact finite element method (FEM) formulation is given for more complicated cases.