Nonlinear thermal buckling behaviour of laminated composite panel structure including the stretching effect and higher-order finite element

Abstract

The nonlinear thermal buckling load parameter of the laminated composite panel structure is investigated numerically using the higher-order theory including the stretching effect through the thickness and presented in this research article. The large geometrical distortion of the curved panel structure due to the elevated thermal loading is modeled via Green-Lagrange strain field including all of the higher-order terms to achieve the required generality. The desired solutions are obtained numerically using the finite element steps in conjunction with the direct iterative method. The concurrence of the present nonlinear panel model has been established via adequate comparison study with available published data. Finally, the effect of different influential parameters which affect the nonlinear buckling strength of laminated composite structure are examined through numerous numerical examples and discussed in details.