Selective Reinforcement to Enhance the Structural Performance of Metallic Compression Panels

An experimental and analytical investigation of the influence of selective reinforcement on metallic panels with cutouts was conducted. Selective reinforcement was shown to be a weight effective concept for increasing structural performance of panels with cutouts designed to carry loads into the post-buckled regime. For instance, a selectively reinforced aluminum panel under shear load exhibited a 68 percent increase in specificbuckling load as compared to a geometrically comparable unreinforced aluminum panel. In comparison, a quasi-isotropic carbon-fiber-reinforced-polymer composite panel only produced a 45 percent higher specificbuckling load than the same unreinforced aluminum panel. Selective reinforcement offers the potential to tailor structural response through local strengthening and stiffening the structure for a broad range of structural application.