  A recently developed nonlinear analytical model for axially loaded
thin-walled stringer-stiffened plates based on variational principles is
extended to include local buckling of the main plate. Interaction between the
weakly stable global buckling mode and the strongly stable local buckling mode
is highlighted. Highly unstable post-buckling behaviour and a progressively
changing wavelength in the local buckling mode profile is observed under
increasing compressive deformation. The analytical model is compared against
both physical experiments from the literature and finite element analysis
conducted in the commercial code Abaqus; excellent agreement is found both in
terms of the mechanical response and the predicted deflections.
