Critical Buckling and Damage Analysis of Hybrid Composite Panels with Cutouts under Uniaxial Compression Loading

Abstract:

Stiffened panels are widely used in aerospace, naval architecture, and bridge construction industries, where compressive loading often leads to critical buckling and structural failure. This study investigates the buckling and damage behavior of curved stiffened panels made from hybrid composite materials under uniaxial compressive loading. Numerical simulations use finite element analysis in Ansys, incorporating the Hashin damage model to predict failure mechanisms. Key parameters analyzed include fiber orientation of the skin and stiffener, cutout diameter, and the impact of titanium foil reinforcement. Results show that fiber orientation significantly influences the panels' critical buckling and damage loads. Panels with skin laminates of [45/90/-45/0]4s demonstrate higher stability than [+45/-45]4s laminates. Additionally, larger cutouts enhance critical buckling loads for both metallic and composite panels. Reinforcing stiffeners with titanium foil at the outermost layers of the composite panels substantially improves buckling and damage performance, providing higher stability and load-bearing capacity than aluminum or composite panels alone. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing the design of hybrid composite panels in structural applications.

• Periodical: Advances in Science and Technology (Volume 165)
• Pages: 3-12
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-NjI72q
• Online since: June 2025
• Authors: Md Mazedur Rahman*, Szávai Szabolcs
• Keywords: Composite Damage, Critical Buckling Load, Curved Stiffened Panel, Hybrid Composite, Titanium Foil, Ultimate Collapse Load

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