Aerospace Structural Design

MAE 4281

Stiffened Shear Webs

David Fleming
Associate Professor
Aerospace Engineering
Reference
Curtis, H.D., Fundamentals of Aircraft
Structural Analysis, Irwin, 1997, 2.5,
Stiffened Shear Webs
Sarafin, 15.3
Megson, 9.7
In this section, we will review some
Statics and Mechanics of Materials, and
introduce analysis relevant to
semimonocoque structures
NASA SP-8088
Megson, Aircraft Structures for Engineering Students
Beams support bending moments and
shear resultants
Internal Resultants are total
forces and moments
supported by a cross-section
(Statics)

Load is actually distributed
across the plane of the cross-
section (Mechanics of
Materials)
Normal stress [assumes
symmetric cross-section
beam]


Shear stress
I
My
= o
}
= =
max
) ( ;
y
y
ydA y Q
It
VQ
t
I-beam is effective geometry for
resisting bending loading
http://www.2719.com/pages/2719photo41.html
mcmaster.com
stainless-structurals.thomasnet.com
Flanges
Web
In a wide-flange I-beam, the flanges carry
most of the moment resultant while the
web supports most of the shear resultant
Consider axial stress based
on the simple linear
bending formula. Total
axial load carried by the
web is small compared to
the flange (P
w
<< P
f
)
Because vertical stress
resultants are low near upper
and lower boundaries,
magnitude of vertical shear
stress resultant is small in
flanges.
Shear stress is approximately
uniform in the web V/A
web

Consider cantilevered load supported by
truss geometry shown below
Truss:
Straight members joined by
pinned connections
Individual members carry
only axial loads (no shear)
Loads applied only at joints

The geometry is obviously unstable due
because it cannot support the shear
resultant
Adding diagonal truss members would
provide shear support
Considering these trusses as a
beam:
Horizontal members provide
bending support (similar to
flanges in an I-beam)
Diagonal members provide
shear support
Hibbeler, Statics
Megson, Aircraft Structures for Engineering Students NASA
Shear web is an alternate approach to
provide support of shear loading
Visualize the original rectangular truss
frame to which a thin panel has been
attached along all four sides
Called a stiffened shear web structure
Shear web structures in AE: built-up
spar structure, and similar structures
J.-C. Flabel, Practical Stress Analysis for
Design Engineers, Lake City Publishing, 1997.
Built-Up Spar Beam,
assembled from metal
extrusions etc forming spar
caps, vertical stiffeners, plus thin
plate material forming the webs
If area of the stiffeners is large compared
to the C/S area of the web, response is
similar to that of a wide-flange I-beam
J.-C. Flabel, Practical Stress Analysis for
Design Engineers, Lake City Publishing, 1997.
Structural idealization is a simplified
representation of a structure for easier
analysis
Idealization of a stiffened shear web structure:
Stiffeners (flanges) support only axial loads,
no shear
Shear webs support only shear loads, no axial
loads
Use idealization to improve FDB of beam
cross-section
Bending moment will result from axial forces in
the upper and lower stiffeners
P V F
Px h F M
F F F
= =
= =
= =

: 0
0 : 0
: 0
1
2 1
P V
h
x
P F
h
x
P F
=
=
=
2
1

Stiffener forces are
functions of x
Variation in stiffener forces along their
length directly rates to shear loading in
the web
FBD of a portion of one of the horizontal
stiffeners
Shear flow, q, is shear force per unit
length
Often a more convenient quantity for structural
analysis than shear stress
Shear flow will be the same for stiffened shear
webs of different thickness loaded in the
same way


In our simple shear web:
For web of uniform thickness t:
h
V
q =
in
lb
,
m
N
e.g.
] [
] [
] [
length
Force
q =
ht
V
t
q
= = t
Simple relationship between shear flow
in web and axial force in stiffener
h
P
q
dx q
h
Pdx
qdx
h
dx x
P
h
x
P F
=
=
=
|
.
|

\
|
+
+ =

0
0 : 0
In a single rectangular shear web, the
shear flow q is constant (not function of x
or y)
Already showed
its constant in
x:


Constancy in y
illustrated with
a simple FBD:
h
P
q =
Rectangular shear panels (shear webs)
are constant shear flow panels



Parallelogram shaped shear webs also
have constant shear flow, along planes
parallel to the edges
Curtis, H.D., Fundamentals of Aircraft Structural Analysis, Irwin, 1997, 2.5
constant ) , ( = y x q
Tapered shear panels have
more complex internal stress
states (not constant shear flow)
Flabel
Curtis, H.D., Fundamentals of Aircraft Structural Analysis, Irwin, 1997, 2.5
Axial loads in stiffeners in a stiffened
shear web structure will vary linearly
along each segment
Curtis, H.D., Fundamentals of Aircraft Structural Analysis, Irwin, 1997, 2.5
x q N
q
x q N
x q x x N x N F
A A
A A
A A
=
=
= + + =

constant is r web, rectangula For
0
0 ) ( ) ( : 0
Knowing the axial force in the stiffener at each of the endpoints, for example,
is therefore sufficient to describe the axial force throughout the stiffener
Examples of analysis of rectangular
shear web structures
Objectives are to:
Determine the shear flow in each web panel
(this will enable the webs to be sized
(determine the necessary thickness) more
next class period.
Describe the axial forces in each stiffener
segment (this will enable the stiffeners to be
sized)
Example: simple two-panel cantilevered
shear web
Results: Stiffener forces are illustrated
graphically
Note that it makes a huge
difference in structural
behavior whether a
stiffener is loaded in
tension or in
compression and
therefore it should be
clearly noted
Use sign convention:
positive axial loads:
tension
negative axial loads:
compression
Example from handout
In more complex cases, it may be necessary to
use systems of equations to solve.
Analysis of individual stiffener segments may
be key to the solution process.
Curtis, H.D., Fundamentals of Aircraft Structural Analysis, Irwin, 1997, 2.5
Exploded view of results gives clear idea
of the loads carried by each part
Curtis, H.D., Fundamentals of Aircraft Structural Analysis, Irwin, 1997, 2.5