Buckling collapse of edge stiffened curved panels

When curvature in introduced into a panel the buckling load for loading parallel to the axis of curvature is increased considerably over that of a flat panel. However, when such panels buckle they are likely to experience a snap through type buckling mode which can be visually undesirable with possibly a severe reduction in load carrying ability. This paper examines this phenomenon in the case where the panel is manufactured by folding the edges of the panel at right angles to form stiffening ribs. The investigation has been performed through large deflection finite element analysis and comparisons with experimental results. It has been found that large deflection finite element results provide a good indication of actual behaviour, allowing for anticipated differences, whereas linear eigenvalue solutions have very limited value.