Branching behavior in the nonlinear response of sandwich panels with a transversely flexible core (Q1579816)

Considering sandwich panels either as narrow beams or as plates in cylindrical bending, the authors reduce the problem to a two-dimensional one. The face sheets are modeled using Kirchhoff assumption, large deformations, moderate rotations and small strains, whereas the core is assumed to be an antiplane medium with small deformations. Nonlinear equilibrium equations in mixed formulation are approximated by finite differences. For the following numerical solution, the authors apply a path-following procedure with predictor-corrector technique. In the vicinity of limit points, however, it is abandoned in favor of the pseudoarclength continuation procedure by H. Keller. Interdependence of local (localized) short wave buckling and long wave buckling is pointed out.