Finite element analysis of compressive failure in stiffened carbon fiber panels

Abstract

The use of composite materials in the aerospace industry is experiencing a large increase in recent years. Mainly they are used to build commercial aircraft fuselages. COCOMAT project had aimed to study and to improve the behaviour of this type of structures. In this work, different simulations have been made with the finite elements method with a COCOMAT project panel. This rectangular curved panel with four stiffeners was submitted to a compressive load with the possibility of buckling. Using the commercial software ABAQUS/CAE, a buckling analysis has been made of this substructure with finite elements type “shell”. The behaviour of the adhesive bonding between skin and four stiffeners has been simulated using the standard VCCT “Virtual Crack Clousure Technique” of ABAQUS. Its propagation of failure was analysed. The obtained results have been contrasted with experimental real results of the panel. Results gave a very accurate simulation of the panel behaviour with buckling, post buckling and collapse loads.