Geometrically nonlinear analysis of thin-walled open-section composite beams

This paper presents a flexural-torsional analysis of thin-walled open-section composite beams. A general geometrically nonlinear model for thin-walled composite beams and general laminate stacking sequences is given by using systematic variational formulation based on the classical lamination theory. The nonlinear algebraic equations of present theory are linearized and solved by means of an incremental Newton-Raphson method. Based on the analytical model, a displacement-based one-dimensional finite element model is developed to formulate the problem. Numerical results are obtained for thin-walled composite beams under general loadings, addressing the effects of fiber angle, laminate stacking sequence and loading parameters.