Abstract
The objective of this study is to investigate effects of prebuckling on the buckling of laminated composite cylindrical shells. Axial compression and lateral pressure are considered for laminated composite cylindrical shells with the ratios of length to radius. The shell walls are made of a laminate with several symmetric ply orientations. The study was made using finite difference energy method, utilizing the nonlinear bifurcation branch with nonlinear prebuckling displacements. The results are compared to the buckling loads determined when membrane prebuckling displacements are considered. Review the influence of nonlinear prebuckling for the buckling loads, the difference between the actual and classical buckling loads are increased as the increments with the ratios of length to radius, for which is applied the axial compression, but almost same for the lateral pressure.
