On the mechanical behaviour of curved composite beams.

A one-dimensional mechanical model describing the dynamical behaviour of laminated curved beams is formulated. The model assumes that each lamina can be regarded as a Timoshenko beam and that the rotations of the cross sections can differ from one lamina to another with no interfacial slip/delamination. Consequently, the model accounts for shear deformation, due to the warping induced by the different laminae rotations. A variational formulation of the motion equations is carried out, through the principle of virtual work. The constitutive equations are assumed linearly elastic and orthotropic in each lamina.