Dynamic buckling of composite cylindrical panels with high-order transverse shears subjected to a transverse concentrated load

The characteristics of dynamic buckling of a geometrically non-linear cylindrical laminated composite panel subjected to a transverse concentrated step load applied at the center is studied. Attention is focused on the dynamic stability of a finite element discrete structural system. The sufficient condition for dynamic buckling, from the energy transfer consideration, is defined as the smallest load for which an unbounded motion is initiated at one generalized displacement. In other words, the dynamic buckling load associated with that generalized coordinate can be predicted by the intersecting point on the static equilibrium curve and the zero potential energy curve. This dynamic buckling criterion can also be observed by the existence of an inflection point on the generalized displacement response curve. Considering the multi-degree-of-freedom for the entire structure without damping, the dynamic buckling criterion used in a single-degree-of-freedom model gives the lower-bound dynamic buckling estimate, which will be shown in the results of the dynamic buckling analysis for a laminated composite arch. The possibility of parametric resonance due to the transverse concentrated step load on a geometrically non-linear system is discussed. Furthermore, the dynamic effects for different loading rates of the applied concentrated load are examined. Finally, the study of the damping effect, which raises the dynamic buckling load, is included.