This research investigates the strength of composite lattice cylindric
al and conical shells under axial compressive loads. The lattice struc
tures are composed of circumferential and helical members, whose cross
-sections are rectangular. The failure modes of both cylindrical and c
onical composite lattice shells are examined. New design constraints t
o achieve weight efficient structures with high failure loads is prese
nted. Two main failure modes, general buckling as a shell and excessiv
e shear stress in the members, are considered. The main emphasis is pl
aced on the effects of geometrical configuration of the structure and
the manufacturing process. Filament winding was used as the method of
construction to automate the fabrication process and to minimize manuf
acturing costs. Numerical results are obtained by finite element analy
sis which are compared with experimental solutions. The motivation of
the present work was to find the optimal winding pattern to which fila
ment winding can be easily applied and still provide the highest stren
gth to weight ratio. The final result of this research includes the nu
merical and experimental analysis of composite lattice cylindrical and
conical shells via filament-winding. This work provides an understand
ing of composite lattice structures that will be useful in preliminary
design of such structures.