SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SOLID AND THIN-WALLED COMPOSITE BEAMS BY ANALYTIC APPROACH

This paper presents a study of the similarities between solid and thin -walled composite beams. The study is based an a set of closed-farm so lutions for simple solid and thin-walled composite-beam configurations . The prediction capability of these solutions is explored using avail able experimental data and by means of correlation with theoretical re sults provided by numerical codes. The study includes the basic lamina tion modes, covers all loading modes, and presents an important physic al insight into the structural behavior and the coupling mechanisms. T he findings clearly indicate important similarities in the structural behavior of solid and thin-walled beams. The results indicate that the proposed analytic solutions represent correctly the beam-like behavio r of composite beams regardless of their specific cross-sectional geom etry and lamination mode. In general, it is shown that by providing a clear insight and correct structural characteristics, the analytic sol utions being examined may be used as a preliminary analysis tool for n ew designs.