The buckling of cross-ply laminated non-homogeneous orthotropic composite conical thin shells under a dynamic external pressure

Summary.  The subject of this investigation is to study the buckling of cross-ply laminated orthotropic truncated circular conical thin shells with variable Young's moduli and densities in the thickness direction, subjected to a uniform external pressure which is a power function of time. After obtaining the dynamic stability and compatibility equations we reduce both of them to a time dependent ordinary differential equation with variable coefficient by using Galerkin's method. The critical dynamic and static loading, the corresponding wave numbers, the dynamic factors, critical time and critical impulse are found analytically by applying the Ritz type variational method. The dynamic behavior of cross-ply laminated truncated conical shells is investigated with: (a) lamina that present variations in the Young's moduli and densities, (b) different numbers and ordering of layers, (c) variable semi-vertex angles, and (d) external pressures which vary with different powers of time. It is concluded that all these factors contribute to appreciable effects on the critical parameters of the problem in question. Received June 13, 2002; revised December 10, 2002 Published online: May 8, 2003 This research project was initiated with the support of DAAD when Dr. Sofiyev was in Germany for a research project. The project was successfully accomplished with generous support of TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey).