GEOMETRICALLY NONLINEAR-THEORY OF INITIALLY IMPERFECT SANDWICH CURVEDPANELS INCORPORATING NONCLASSICAL EFFECTS

A comprehensive geometrically nonlinear theory of initially imperfect doubly curved sandwich shells is developed. The theory encompasses san dwich structures with dissimilar face sheets constructed of laminate c omposites and with the core modeled as an orthotropic body featuring s trong or soft behaviors. The theory includes the dynamic as well as th e temperature and moisture effects. As a special case, a range of rela ted applications of the theory of sandwich shells with soft core are p resented. These involve the buckling and postbuckling of flat and circ ular cylindrical shells compressed by uniaxially edge loads, and the i nfluence played in this respect by a number of geometrical and physica l parameters is highlighted. Also contained are comparisons of bucklin g results obtained in the context of the present theoretical model wit h the ones obtained experimentally, and reasonable agreements are repo rted.