BUCKLING OF CRACKED COMPOSITE COLUMNS

A crack in a structural element introduces a significant local flexibility which enhances the instability. Buckling of an edge-notched beam is studied for isotropic and anisotropic composites. The local compliance due to the presence of cracks in an anisotropic medium is formulated as a function of the crack-tip stress intensity factors and the elastic constants of the material. The general integration of the non-linear differential equations expressing the buckling model of an eccentrically loaded composite beam is derived for two different types of hinged supports ; namely freely approaching and fixed span. The effect of reducing rigidity on the load-carrying capacity and the post-buckling behavior of the beam is discussed and exemplary numerical solutions are provided. The study indicates that the instability increases with the beam slenderness and the crack length. In addition, the material anisotropy conspicuously reduces the load-carrying capacity of an externally cracked member. © 1990.