Stability of a Cantilever Elliptical Composite Cylindrical Shell under Torsion

Article

Published: 11.02.2026

Published in issue: #2(170)/2026

DOI:

Category: Aviation and Rocket-Space Engineering | Chapter: Strength and Thermal Conditions of Aircraft

The stability problem of non-circular elliptical cylindrical shells made of composite material has been solved, taking into account the moment and nonlinearity of their pre-critical stress-strain state. The geometrically nonlinear stability problem was solved using finite element methods and Newton–Cantorovich linearization. Critical loads are determined in the process of solving the nonlinear problem using the Sylvester criterion. Finite elements of naturally curved composite cylindrical shells, developed by the author based on the Timoshenko hypothesis are used, in the approximation of whose displacements their rigid displacements are explicitly highlighted, which significantly affects the convergence of the solution. The stability of an elliptical, cantilever-fixed cylindrical shell made of polymer composite material under torsion has been investigated. The influence of monolayer laying methods, nonlinear deformation, and ellipticity parameters on the critical loads of shell stability loss and the weight efficiency of composite shells was determined.

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