Torsional analysis of thin-walled composite beams with single- and double-celled sections

The exact solutions for twist angle and fiber stresses of thin-walled composite box beams with single- and double-celled sections subjected to torsional moment are presented by introducing fourteen displacement parameters. For this, a general thin-walled composite box-beam theory including the effects of elastic couplings and restrained warping is developed based on the Vlasov’s assumptions. The equilibrium equations and the force–deformation relations are derived from the energy principle. A system of linear algebraic equations with non-symmetric matrices is constructed by introducing fourteen displacement parameters and by transforming the higher order simultaneous differential equations into first-order ones. This numerical technique determines eigenmodes corresponding to multiple zero and non-zero eigenvalues and derives exact displacement functions for displacement parameters based on the undetermined parameter method. Finally, the exact stiffness matrix is determined using the member force–deformation relations. The theory developed by this study is validated by comparing several torsional responses from the present approach with those from the finite element beam model that uses third-order Hermitian polynomials and detailed two-dimensional analysis results using the shell elements of ABAQUS for coupled composite beams with single- and double-celled sections.