Application and experimental qualification of the equivalent solid plate method to the analysis of perforated plates with square penetration patterns

Abstract

The analysis of perforated plates containing circular penetrations arranged in a square pattern is greatly complicated by the orthotropy and circumferential variation of the equivalent solid plate material properties. These complications make the application of the equivalent solid plate concept for this type of penetration pattern to problems involving axisymmetric geometries and loadings very difficult. Unfortunately, the alternatives to the equivalent solid plate concept in a large number of practical situations require explicit three-dimensional modeling of each penetration and therefore is both costly and time consuming if not impossible due to problem size. Approximate techniques are developed in this paper which facilitate the application of the equivalent solid plate properties for the square penetration pattern perforated plate geometry to axisymmetric analysis. The problem is discussed within the context of the finite element method and appropriate material property relationships are derived which facilitate axisymmetric analysis. These techniques and relationships are also used in the formulation of a thin plate analysis. Finally, after a summary of the experimental methods, comparisons with experimental results are given which substantiate the assumptions made permitting the axisymmetric analysis.