THERMOMECHANICAL POSTBUCKLING OF GEOMETRICALLY IMPERFECT FLAT AND CURVED PANELS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT TANGENTIAL EDGE CONSTRAINTS

A study of the effects of tangential edge constraints on the postbuckl ing response of flat and shallow curved panels subjected to thermal an d mechanical loads is presented. The mechanical lends investigated are uniform compressive edge loads and transverse lateral pressure. The t emperature fields considered are associated with spatially uniform hea ling over the thickness panel and a linear through-the-thickness tempe rature gradient. The structural model is based on a higher order trans verse-shear deformation theory of shallow shells that incorporates the effects of geometric nonlinearities, initial geometric imperfections, and the tangential edge motion constraints. Simply supported panels a re considered in which the tangential motion of the unloaded edges is either unrestrained partially restrained, or fully restrained. Results are presented for three-layer panels made from transversely isotropic materials, and a number of conclusions about the implications of the previously mentioned effects are outlined.