On the distribution of stress in a thin plate elastically supported along two edges at loads beyond the stability limit

Abstract

This report presents the results of an investigation on the distribution of stress in a plate elastically supported along two edges and subjected to compressive loads in a direction parallel to the elastically supported edges. In section I methods are developed for calculating: 1. The compression stresses at the median surface in directions parallel and perpendicular to the applied load. 2. Bending stresses 3. Combined bending and compression stresses 4. The effective width of sheet acting with each stringer Section II presents the results of a limited number of tests on: 1. The wave form of the buckled plate with increasing stringer stress 2. Compression tests on 24S-T dural sheet and 24S-T alclad sheet A comparison between the assumed wave form and the experimentally determined wave forms given in reference 4 is indicated in section I. The calculated strains have been compared with the measured strains of reference 4. The discrepancies between theory and experiment are discussed in sections I and II.