Buckling and Nonlinear Response of Sandwich Curved Panels to Combined Mechanical Loads-Implications of Face-Sheet Elastic Tailoring

Results concerning the linear and nonlinear static response of curved sandwich panels to combined mechanical loads are addressed, and in this context, the implications of elastically tailored face-sheets upon the enhancement of their load carrying capacity are emphasized. The analysis is based on a geometrically nonlinear theory of shallow sandwich shells restricted to the case of small strains and moderately small rotations. In addition to the implications of ply-angle, ply-sequence and ply-thickness of composite face-sheets, those related with the panel curvature and aspect ratio on their buckling and nonlinear static response are analyzed, and pertinent conclusions are outlined.