Buckling behavior of compression-loaded quasi-isotropic curved panels with a circular cutout

Results from a numerical and experimental study of the response of compression-loaded quasi-isotropic curved panels with a centrally located circular cutout are presented. The numerical results were obtained by using a geometrically nonlinear finite element analysis code. The effects of cutout size, panel curvature and initial geometric imperfections on the overall response of compression-loaded panels are described. In addition, results are presented from a numerical parametric study that indicate the effects of elastic circumferential edge restraints on the prebuckling and buckling response of a selected panel and these numerical results are compared to experimentally measured results. These restraints are used to identify the effects of circumferential edge restraints that are introduced by the test fixture that was used in the present study. It is shown that circumferential edge restraints can introduce substantial nonlinear prebuckling deformations into shallow compression-loaded curved panels that can result in a significant increase in buckling load. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.