Behavior of Thin-Walled Beams Made of Advanced Composite Materials and Incorporating Non-Classical Effects

Several results concerning the refined theory of thin-walled beams of arbitrary closed cross-section incorporating non-classical effects are presented. These effects are related both with the exotic properties characterizing the advanced composite material structures and the non-uniform torsional model. A special case of the general equations is used to study several problems of cantilevered thin-walled beams and to assess the influence of the incorporated effects. The results presented in this paper could be useful towards a more rational design of aeronautical or aerospace constructions, as well as of helicopter or tilt rotor blades constructed of advanced composite materials.