Edge debonding in patched cylindrical panels

Circumferential edge debonding is considered for structural configurations corresponding to patched cylindrical panels, under a variety of loading conditions. These include applied circumferential tension, radial three-point loading, and applied pressure. The effect of support conditions on the evolution of the composite structure is also examined as are the effects of relative stiffness and arc length of the patch with respect to those of the base panel. The problems are approached from a unified point of view, as a moving interior boundaries problem in the calculus of variations, resulting in a selfconsistent model of the intact and debonded segments of the composite structure, the individual primitive structures, and the corresponding conditions which define the intermediate boundaries of the bonded region and a region of sliding contact. Numerical simulations based on analytical solutions reveal characteristic behavior of the evolving structure under load. Copyright 0 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd