Imperfection sensitivity of axially compressed stringer reinforced cylindrical sandwich panels

This paper presents some numerical results of the effects of several nondimensional parameters on the buckling and initial post buckling behaviors of shallow sandwich panels under axial compression. Results are presented that show these effects due to transverse shearing resistance of the core material, different face-sheet thicknesses, and different core thicknesses. Further effects on the buckling and initial postbuckling behaviors of sandwich panels are presented due to the torsional resistance of longitudinal edge stiffeners.The results show that the range of flatness parameter, δ/d, for which sandwich panels remain imperfection-insensitive increases with increases in transverse shearing resistance of the core material and with larger core thicknesses. These results also indicate that this range of δ/d is smallest when the face-sheet thicknesses are equal. Finally, as in the case of homogeneous panels, torsional resistance of the longitudinal edge stiffeners has the effect of making the sandwich panel less imperfection-sensitive.