Three‐Dimensional Solutions for Initially Stressed Structural Sandwiches

Three‐dimensional solutions are presented for the buckling and free vibrations of sandwich panels with composite face sheets subjected to combined temperature change and applied edge compression. Sensitivity coefficients are also evaluated and used to study the sensitivity of the buckling and free‐vibration responses to variations in the different lamination and material parameters of the panel. The temperature is assumed to be uniform, and the material properties are assumed to be independent of temperature. Numerical results are presented showing the effects of variations in geometric, material, and lamination parameters on the stability boundary, vibrational response, and sensitivity coefficients of initially stressed, simply supported sandwich panels. Also, the contributions of the in‐plane and transverse stresses, in the face sheets and the core, to the strain energy associated with the buckling and vibration modes are studied, thereby providing insight into the permissible approximations in modeling of structural sandwiches.