The Influence of Body Forces on the Stability of a Reinforced Rectangular Plate

Reinforced rectangular plates find frequent application in the field of aeroplane structures, ship structures and allied fields. The stability of a structural element, if its critical load in compression is rather low, is normally influenced by its own weight. Usually the ratio of the body forces of the stiffened plate to the critical load is a considerable amount and the influence of the body forces of the plate and the ribs on the critical load of the stiffened plate is discussed here. In this note (following Timoshenko), the extensional deformation of the middle surface during buckling is neglected, which greatly simplifies the analysis. Although it leads to an under-estimation of the critical load (of the order of 10 per cent at most) it is not likely to influence the general conclusions. Strain energy method of analysis is used.