An automated,energy-based,finite-difference procedure for the elastic collapse of rectangular plates and panels

A FORTRAN IV, large capacity, computer program has been developed to determine collapse loads and bifurcation loads for linear and nonlinear prebuckling behavior for fiber-reinforced, laminated, rectangular plates and panels under general loading systems and boundary conditions. The program is based on the principle of total potential energy and uses finite-differences in the discretization process. Whole-station spacing has been used to calculate the strain energy associated with an area-element and an orthogonal finite-difference grid that provides for variable spacings in perpendicular directions is incorporated.Numerical results are presented that compare favorably with results obtained via the general computer program STAGS. Other numerical results are presented that illustrate the types of boundary conditions, applied loads, cut-outs and initial geometric imperfections that can be handled by the present program. A brief study of the effect of panel construction and initial geometric imperfections on the buckling behavior of fiber-reinforced panels is presented.