A GEOMETRICALLY NONLINEAR-THEORY FOR LAMINATED ANISOTROPIC THIN-WALLED-BEAMS

A non-linear theory of composite thin-walled beams accounting for finite displacements and arbitrarily large twist angles is presented. The theory is valid for beams of arbitrary open and closed cross-sections and accounts for various non-classical effects like anistropy, transverse shear deformation and constrained warping. The present non-linear formulation enables one to study the static and dynamic stability of beams composed of composite materials systematically with due consideration of all non-classical influences. It is shown that certain other technologically important studies can also be carried out using this theory.