Buckling instabilities of elastically connected Timoshenko beams on an elastic layer subjected to axial forces

Abstract

We study the buckling instability of a system of three simply supported elastic Timoshenko beams, joined together by Winkler elastic layers, and each subjected to the same compressive axial load.The model of the Timoshenko beam includes the effects of axial loading, shear deformation, and rotary inertia.Explicit analytical expressions are derived for the critical buckling load of single, double, and triplebeam systems.It can be observed from these expressions that the critical buckling load depends on the Winkler elastic layer stiffness modulus K , and that the instability of the system increases with an increase in the numbers of beams and elastic layers.These results are of considerable practical interest and have wide application in engineering practice.