Thermal postbuckling analysis of cylindrically curved composite laminates with a hole

A non‐linear finite element analysis including a new flat shell element has been developed to examine the response of laminated panels going through large deflections and rotations under uniform temperature change. The equilibrium path describing the relationship between temperature and deflection is sensitive to the material system, hole size, in‐plane boundary conditions and radius of curvature. Certain laminate configurations exhibit snap‐through and bifurcation along this path. The accuracy of the results for a cylindrically curved panel is established by considering numerous validation problems with known solutions. The method has been demonstrated to be highly effective for predicting the non‐linear response of thin composite shells subjected to uniform temperature change in the presence of large displacements and rotations and material anisotropy.