Stability Analysis of Composite Panels with Stiffeners and Circular Cutouts

Buckling of simply supported square orthotropic plates with multi-blade stiffeners is addressed herein. An approximate, semi-analytical model for such plates subjected to in-plane loading is derived. The optimal buckling load of simply supported laminated composite blade-stiffened panels with circular cutouts is predicted using Finite Element Analysis. In this optimization, the design variables were the cutout size, cutout location, fiber orientation angles, number and locations of stiffeners. Three types of in-plane loading were considered; namely, uniaxial, biaxial and shear loading. Based on the model studies, the total increase in the buckling load due to the presence of cutouts and stiffeners can reach up to 5 times in uniaxial loading, 7 times in biaxial loading and 2 times in shear loading compared to perfect plates. Several other imperative findings are identified based upon the various parameters influencing the buckling behavior. Guidelines for the optimal stiffeners' configurations and cutouts' proportioning are developed.