Delamination buckling and postbuckling of composite cylindrical shells

A higher-order shear deformation theory is developed for accurately evaluating the transverse shear effects in delamination buckling and postbuckling of cylindrical shells under axial compression. The theory assures an accurate description of displacement field and the satisfaction of stress-free boundary conditions for delamination problem. The governing differential equations of the present theory are obtained by applying the principle of virtual displacement. The Rayleigh-Ritz method is used to solve both linear and nonlinear equations by assuming a double Fourier expansion of the displacements with trigonometric coordinate functions. Both linearized buckling analysis and nonlinear postbuckling analysis are performed for axially compressed cylindrical shells with clamped ends. Comparisons made with the classical laminate theory and a first-order theory show significant deviations.