ABSTRACT |
Mechanical- and thermal-buckling analyses were performed on rectangular plates with central cutouts. The cutouts were either circular holes or square holes. The finite-element structural analysis method was used to study the effects of plate-support conditions, plate aspect ratio, hole geometry, and hole size on the mechanical-and thermal-buckling strengths of the perforated plates. By increasing the hole size, thermal-buckling strengths of the plates could be enhanced. The compressive-buckling strengths of the plates could also be increased considerably only under certain boundary conditions and aspect ratios. The plate-buckling mode can be symmetrical or antisymmetrical, depending on the plate boundary conditions, aspect ratio, and the hole size. For the same cutout areas (i.e., same plate weight density), the buckling strengths of the same-sized plates with square holes generally surpass those of the plates with circular holes over the range of hole sizes. The results and illustrations provide vital information for the efficient design of aerospace structural panels.
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