Investigations Into the Stability of Thin-Walled Composite Structures with Top-Hat Cross-Sections

Abstract This paper presents a study of compressed thin-walled composite columns with an open cross-section. The tested specimens with a top-hat cross-section were made of CFRP material. Two arrangements of composite layers [0/-45/45/90]s and [90/0/90/0]s were compared. The paper focuses on the buckling phenomenon and the determination of the critical loads of the structure. It includes both numerical analyses using the finite element method (FEM) and validation on real specimens made using the autoclave technique. A comparison is made between the results obtained by both methods. The critical forces of the real specimens were determined using the P-wc3 approximation method. Both the evaluation of the buckling shape and the values of the critical forces showed a significant correlation between the experimental and numerical tests. This paper also compares the tested lay-ups.