Postbuckling of stiffened composite plates under combined loading

An analysis methodology for the postbuckling behavior of laminated plates under combined in-plane normal and shear loading is presented. The plates are simply supported on their ends and elastically restrained against rotation along their longitudinal edges. Discrete thickness changes along the plate edges are included in the formulation to account for attached stiffener flanges and/or edge pad-ups. The resulting analytical approach is suitable for inclusion in a preliminary sizing procedure for longitudinally stiffened composite panels.