Buckling Mode Interaction in Composite Plate Assemblies

The analysis of buckling mode interaction of fiber-reinforced composite columns, modeled as plate assemblies, is presented. The main assumptions are linear elasticity; a linear fundamental equilibrium path; the existence of critical states that are coincident or near coincident; and a coupled path rising from a quadratic combination of modal displacements due to interaction. The formulation adopted is known as the W-formulation, in which the energy is written in terms of a sliding set of incremental coordinates, measured with respect to the fundamental path. The energy is then expressed with respect to a reduced modal coordinate basis, and the coupled solution arising from interaction is computed. An example of a pultruded composite I-column subjected to axial compression illustrates the procedure.