Abstract: In this paper, based on the mixed-type theory developed by the same authors^[1], a theoretical analysis is presented for the stability of laminated composite circular conical shells under external pressure. The formulas for critical external pressure are obtained by using the potential energy variation principle. Very good agreement is shown between the theoretical prediction of critical external pressure and the experimental data. Finally, the influence of some parameters on critical external pressure is discussed numerically. The mixed-type theory developed by the same authors[1] and the results obtained in this paper are very useful in aerospace engineering design.

Key words: composites, circular conical shells, stability, potential energy variation principle