Numerical and Experimental Analysis on the Orientation and Size Effect of an Elliptical Cut-Out on the Buckling Response of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer Cylindrical Shell

Thin-walled shells in the form of cylinders, cones and spheres are seeking usage in aerospace sectors because of its excellent load carrying capacity even being light weight. Being thin, these structures are much prone to buckling when subjected to axial loading, bending due to some geometric imperfections in the structure. Although the imperfections result in relatively low amplitudes, they can significantly impact the critical load. Buckling study is one of the common methods to analyse the influence of perforation in thin-walled shells. This paper presents the buckling response of both perforated and perfect thin-walled cylinders. The thin-walled cylindrical shells were perforated in elliptical shape and the effect of size and orientation of the elliptical cut-outs was studied experimentally and correlated with the numerical simulation findings. Furthermore, this study revealed an optimum size and orientation of the elliptical cut-out provision without sacrificing the buckling resistance of the carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) cylindrical shells under axial loading. The results can contribute to the analysis and optimum design of composite thin-walled shells with cut-outs.