Dynamic instability characteristics of advanced grid stiffened conical shell with laminated composite skins

Abstract Dynamical instability characteristics of sandwich truncated conical shell are investigated. The three-layered shell is composed of advanced grid stiffened core and laminated composite skins. The core maybe made of three different fiber paths. The conical shell with simply-supported ends is subjected to two different types of time-dependent axial compressions. The equations of motion and compatibility are derived by considering Kirchhoff-Love assumptions and von Karman relations. The solution procedure is divided to two steps. First, the terms consisting of spatial derivatives are eliminated by applying a stress function and following the Galerkin method. Second, the terms with temporal derivatives are solved with Runge-Kutta method. A new condition of Budiansky-Roth criterion is offered for detection of dynamic buckling load. The effects of different fiber paths and lay-up configurations are investigated.