An Analysis Tool for Design and Certification of Postbuckling Composite Aerospace Structures

In aerospace, carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites and postbuckling skin-stiffened structures are key technologies that have been used to improve structural efficiency. However, the application of composite postbuckling structures in aircraft has been limited due to concerns related to both the durability of composite structures and the accuracy of design tools. In this work, a finite element analysis tool for design and certification of aerospace structures is presented, which predicts collapse by taking the critical damage mechanisms into account. The tool incorporates a global–local analysis technique for predicting interlaminar damage initiation, and degradation models to capture the growth of a pre-existing interlaminar damage region, such as a delamination or skin–stiffener debond, and in-plane ply damage mechanisms such as fiber fracture and matrix cracking. The analysis tool has been applied to single- and multistiffener fuselage-representative composite panels, in both intact and predamaged configurations. This has been performed in a design context, in which panel configurations are selected based on their suitability for experimental testing, and in an analysis context for comparison with experimental results as being representative of aircraft certification studies. For all cases, the tool was capable of accurately capturing the key damage mechanisms contributing to final structural collapse, and suitable for the design of next-generation composite aerospace structures.