Buckling and Ultimate Failure of Thin-Walled Pultruded Composite Columns

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the buckling behavior of concentrically loaded thin–walled pultruded fiber reinforced polymer (PFRP) composite columns. Both open- and closed-web columns were evaluated. Finite element (FE) analysis and theoretical predictions are presented and correlated with experimental data. Good agreement between theoretical, analytical and experimental results was achieved. The paper also presents design guidelines to determine the bending stiffness and the critical buckling load for pultruded composite columns. In addition, a discussion on the axial strength of unidirectional PFRP columns and identification of different modes of failure are presented.