BUCKLING ANALYSIS OF SKEW PLATE ASSEMBLIES - CLASSICAL PLATE-THEORY RESULTS INCORPORATING LAGRANGIAN-MULTIPLIERS

A procedure is presented for the buckling analysis of prismatic skew p late assemblies subject to invariant in-plane stresses. Based on the e xact solution of the plate differential equations, the method of Lagra ngian multipliers is used to enforce the transverse skew boundaries by a sufficient number of point constraints. Analysis assumes that the p late is infinitely long and that supports repeat at bay length interva ls, typifying the continuity found in aircraft wing construction. Foll owing a brief derivation of the formulation adopted, results are prese nted and comparisons are made with other analyses for an unstiffened i sotropic skew plate, subject to pure compression loading with both sim ply supported and clamped boundary conditions. Results for four benchm ark stiffened panels, i.e. plate assemblies, incorporating composite m aterial and combined loading:are also given for a range of skew angles .