Introduction to Composite Structures

This book includes a detailed introduction to the mechanics of composite structures, i.e. thin-walled laminated structures as they are frequently used in lightweight construction and design. The book is subdivided into five parts. Starting from the basics of linear elasticity in part I, part II is devoted to the mechanics of composite laminates as relevant for the further course of this book and as employed in industrial practice. Part III deals with the buckling and postbuckling behaviour of unstiffened and stiffened thin-walled laminated structures and presents closed-form analytical and semi-analytical approaches for the stability analysis of such structures. Part IV includes some advanced topics such as free-edge effects and laminated shells before part V concludes with the analysis of laminated beam structures. This book is intended for students at universities, but also for engineers in practice and researchers in engineering science.