Buckling Analysis of CFRP Stiffened Composite Panels by Finite Element Method

Abstract

Stiffened composite panels are extensively used as parts of thin walled sections in aircraft and other structural components due to their properties of high stiffness to weight ratio and sufficient lateral stiffness. Thin walled elements, under in-plane loads are prone to buckling making skin instability a prime mode of failure. This paper presents the theoretical study of behavior of stiffened composite panels under in-plane compression. The paper consists of extensive study on buckling of panels. A numerical technique called finite element method was used to solve the problem of stiffened composite panels for buckling. Basically, three types of problem were solved for buckling namely; unstiffened plate, stiffened plate and runout stiffened plate of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) and wide range of results were obtained. The problems were solved with a commercial finite element package ANSYS and MSC/ NASTRAN for two models of plate and solid. However lastly, the results were compared with the experimental results.