a Department of Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529-0247, USA
b Structural Mechanics Branch, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681-0001, USA
Abstract:
A buckling formulation for anisotropic variable-curvature panels is presented in this paper. The variable-curvature panel is assumed to consist of two or more panels of constant curvature where each panel may have a different curvature. Bezier functions are used as Ritz functions. Displacement (C0), and slope (C1) continuities between segments are imposed by manipulation of the Bezier control points. A first-order shear-deformation theory is used in the buckling formulation. Results obtained from the present formulation are compared with those from finite element simulations and are found to be in good agreement.