On the jump of buckling capacity of beams via piezoelectric layers

The paper presents research on the effect of a follower tensile force on the buckling capacity of beam structures subjected to non-follower compression. The potential of the research is for the application of smart materials on the buckling enhancement of beams, since the follower force is always and properly modelled at the interaction between the smart materials and the substrate. The buckling capacities of beams with different boundary conditions are obtained analytically. The phenomenon of a jump in buckling capacity for beams with one end fixed and the other end restrained by a translational spring is found. This observation indicates that by properly applying a follower force through the use of smart materials, the buckling capacities of a beam can be enhanced dramatically. The voltage, needed for the jump in the buckling capacity, applied to a pair of piezoelectric layers is hence studied and properly made. It is hoped that this work will enable designers to capitalise on the effectiveness of piezoelectric actuators or Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) in enhancing the buckling capacities of beams.