A Study on the Buckling and Postbuckling Control of Composite Beams with Embedded NiTi Actuators

In this paper, an experimental study on the buckling and postbuckling control of a laminated composite beam with eccentrically embedded NiTi actuators is performed. For the purpose of enhancing the critical buckling load, buckling control is investigated through the use of reactive moment associated with the shape recovery force of NiTi actuators. To improve the control authority for the buckling and postbuckling control of the NiTi-composite beam, closed-loop control is used. The buckling and postbuckling control behaviours are presented and discussed qualitatively and quantitatively on load-deflection plots considering stacking sequence of the laminate, slenderness ratio of the beam and activation conditions of the NiTi actuators. The experimental results show that the buckling control can be extended to the postbuckling of the NiTi-composite beam with the proper reactive moment.