Imperfection-insensitive continuous tow-sheared cylinders

The design of thin-walled cylinders in axial compression is limited by sensitivity to geometric imperfections. This paper focuses on reducing this imperfection from a perspective. By using variable-angle composites, the load paths are tailored reduce effective area over which imperfections can initiate buckling. Continuous Tow Shearing (CTS) one such manufacturing technique. It does not cause defects associated with Automated Fibre Placement and entails fibre angle-thickness coupling that results local thickness build-up—used as feature embed stiffeners cylinder. Nonlinear finite element models seeded used calculate knockdown factors (KDF). was found there an inverse trend between embedded stiffener frequency KDF. best performing CTS cylinder has KDF 30% greater specific buckling 4% than QI cylinder, optimal straight-fibre laminate for also that, smaller effect pre-buckling strain field, novel finding shows computationally inexpensive nonlinear analysis provide first-order approximation compression.