Abstract
Cutouts such as circular, rectangular, square, elliptical, and triangular shapes are generally used in composite plates as access ports for mechanical and electrical systems, for damage inspection, to serve as doors and windows, and sometimes to reduce the overall weight of the structure. This paper addresses the effects of different cutouts on the buckling behavior of plates made of polymer matrix composites. To study the effects of cutouts on buckling, loaded edges are taken as fixed and unloaded edges are taken as free. Finite element analysis is also performed to predict the effects of different geometrical cutouts, orientations, and position of cutouts on the buckling behavior. The results show that fiber orientation angle and cutout sizes are the most important parameters on the buckling loads. For all types of cutouts the buckling loads decrease dramatically by increasing the fiber orientation angle. It is observed that minimum buckling load is reached when 45° fiber angle is used, and after this angle critical buckling load begins to increase. Also, it is concluded that while fiber orientation angle is 0°, elliptical cutout has the highest buckling load and while fiber orientation angle is 45°, circular cutout has the highest buckling load.
©2012 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
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