CALCULATION OF STRESSES AT SKIN STIFFENER INTERFACES OF COMPOSITE STIFFENED PANELS UNDER SHEAR LOADS

A simple energy-based approach to calculate stresses at skin-stiffener interfaces of composite stiffened panels under shear loads is presented. Solutions to the governing partial differential equations are sought that satisfy boundary conditions and traction continuity. The stress functional forms are determined by minimizing the energy using a variational approach. The resulting closed form stress expressions are compared to finite element solutions and are shown to be in very good agreement.