Buckling loads of sandwich columns with a higher-order theory

Abstract

The application of a higher-order shear deformable theory, which assumes a realistic cross-sectional deformation pattern and eliminates the use of a shear correction coefficient, is presented to evaluate the buckling loads of a symmetric, three-layered, simply supported, sandwich column when subjected to compressive edge loads. A closed form solution of the equilibrium equations is obtained by employing Von Karman strain displacement relations in the variational statement of the total potential energy and ne glecting any stretching of the middle line. The results, when compared with those obtained from Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko theories, show that the high shear deformability of the core significantly reduces the buckling load, highlighting the efficacy of a higher order theory.