The stability behavior of rotating composite shafts under axial compressive loads

This paper studies the stability behavior of a rotating composite shaft subjected to axial compressive loads using finite element method. The laminated composite shaft is modeled as a Timoshenko shaft by applying the equivalent modulus beam theory. Numerical results correlate well with the reported beam models. The critical speed of the thin-walled composite shaft is dependent on the stacking sequence, the length-radius ratio (L/R and the boundary conditions. In addition, the effects of the rotational speeds and the disk location on the rotating shafts' stability are examined as well. The critical load of the rotating thin-walled composite shaft can be nearly assessed from the conventional buckling formulation.