S. Nagendra et al., BUCKLING AND FAILURE CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPRESSION-LOADED STIFFENED COMPOSITE PANELS WITH A HOLE, Composite structures, 28(1), 1994, pp. 1-17
An experimental and analytical study was carried out to investigate th
e buckling and failure characteristics of stiffened compression-loaded
panels with holes, and to assess the validity of analytical models us
ed for the design of such panels. Graphite-epoxy panels with four equa
lly spaced blade stiffeners were fabricated with a laminate stacking s
equence optimally designed for stiffened panels without holes. Panels
with different hole sizes and panels without holes were tested. Failur
e of all panels initiated at or near the stiffeners, in regions with s
evere local bending gradients. Finite element analysis using a quarter
-panel model with boundary conditions to simulate the experiment was u
sed to predict the prebuckling and buckling behavior. Analytical resul
ts correlate well with experimental results.