THEORY AND BUCKLING RESULTS FOR INFINITELY WIDE, STIFFENED SKEW PLATEASSEMBLIES

Existing theory and the associated computer program VICONOPT deal with infinitely wide plate assemblies given that boundary conditions on al l sides of each panel form a rectangle. They also deal with cases when the four supports form a parallelogram so that the plate is a skew pl ate. This is true provided the panel is of finite width, i.e. isolated from any adjacent panels, which is the case commonly modelled in prac tice. It does not represent what happens in the real structure, howeve r, where normally there is continuity with the adjacent panel. The pre sent paper shows how the theory and the computer program VICONOPT can be modified so that skewed plate assemblies that are infinitely wide a nd repeat at transverse intervals can now be modelled exactly. The pap er also shows that the theory can be used, if a small measure of appro ximation is accepted, to model this situation by analysing only one of the identical stiffeners with associated panel skin in the common sit uations where the panel has equally spaced, identical, longitudinal st iffeners between each adjacent pair of longitudinal lines of support. Illustrative results are given.