NASA/TP-3587, NASA TECHNICAL PAPER: BUCKLING AND POSTBUCKLING BEHAVIOR OF LAMINATED COMPOSITE PLATES WITH A CUTOUT (JUL-1996)

NASA/TP-3587, NASA TECHNICAL PAPER: BUCKLING AND POSTBUCKLING BEHAVIOR OF LAMINATED COMPOSITE PLATES WITH A CUTOUT (JUL-1996)., This paper addresses the effects of a cutout on the buckling and postbuckling behavior of rectangular plates made of advanced composite materials. An overview of past research is presented, and several key findings and behavioral characteristics are discussed. These findings include the effects of cutout size, shape, eccentricity, and orientation; plate aspect and slenderness ratios; loading and boundary conditions; and plate orthotropy and anisotropy. Some overall important findings of these studies are that plates that have a cutout can buckle at loads higher than the buckling loads for corresponding plates without a cutout and can exhibit substantial postbuckling load-carrying capability. In addition, laminate construction, coupled with cutout geometry, offers a viable means for tailoring structural response.