Design of structures by a splitting method

A simplified method for the design of multi-spar wing boxes is presented. I n typical multi-spar wing boxes the spars divide the boxes into cells. In t he method presented these are analyzed individually, with adjacent cells ta king their share of the stiffnesses of the common spar wall. This splitting method yields a design method that is computationally much quicker than de signing a complete wing box, because each cell is considered separately fro m the others, except for linking between their design variables. The critic al buckling load factor of the assembled structure when designed in this wa y will usually exceed the design load factor and otherwise will be equal to it, i.e. the design is guaranteed to be conservative. (C) 1999 Elsevier Sc ience Ltd. AII rights reserved.