The elastic behavior of an orthotropic composite panel is analyzed under the
influence of an end moment as well as shear loading. The panel is rigidly fixed at one
of its ends, and the fibers are assumed to be directed along its length. An efficient
finite difference computational scheme, based on the displacement potential
formulation, is used to analyze the present mixed boundary value elastic
problem. The effects of several important issues, for example, the panel
aspect ratio, edge stiffening, and fiber reinforcement, on the elastic field are
investigated. Solutions are presented mainly in the form of graphs and the
predicted deformed shape. Finally, the reliability and superiority of the present
computational scheme is discussed in comparison to the corresponding finite element
predictions.