Influence of stiffener edge on the buckling load of holed composite plates

In this paper, buckling load of edge stiffened composite plates is assessed. The effect of stiffener edge size, circular hole, and the fiber orientation angle on buckling behavior of composite plates under uni-axial compressive load is investigated. This paper includes two parts as experimental and numerical studies. L-shape composite plates are manufactured in three different layups. Then the buckling loads are experimentally determined. Subsequently, by using the numerical simulation, the size variation effects of stiffener edge and circular cutout on the plate buckling loads are analyzed in five different layups. The results show that cutout size, stiffener edge height and fiber orientation angle have important effects on buckling load. In addition, there is an optimum height for stiffener edge during different conditions.