Abstract: A model of the action and reaction of the center-cracked panel with the multiple-stiffeners has been proposed. The Finite Difference Method has been used for the dynamic fracture analysis. When the stiffeners are on the boundaries of the panel, the action of the stiffeners is treated as the boundary forces. On the other side, when the stiffeners are in the domain of the panel, the action of the stiffeners at every rivet on the panel is treated as an analogous local body force in the equations of motion. According to this model, the multiple-stiffened panel with a central crack can be analyzed in the static and dynamic cases. The computational results show that the stiffeners can be used for reducing the stress intensity factors in the static or dynamic cases. Furthermore, the stiffeners can be also used to reduce the crack velocity or arrest the crack propagation. The influence of the cross area and the position of the stiffeners has been investigated. When the stiffeners have large cross area (or large Young's modulus), and the internal stiffener lies close to the crack tip, the crack arresting effect will be more obvious.

Key words: multiple-stiffened panel, dynamic crack propagation, finite difference method