Numerical analysis of hat stiffened composite panels for pre and post buckling conditions

This research aims in studying the pre-buckling and post-buckling behaviour of composite panels stiffened by hat stiffeners under compressive loading. Stiffened panels are used in aerospace, marine and also in bridge structures. They are used to make the plate girders stiff. By using composite materials, the strength can be increased, and the weight can be reduced. In Composite panels which are stiffened, local buckling and failure of panel happens because of the applied compressive loads and due to combination of compressive and shear loads. The Collapse of the stiffened composite structure starts from the intersection between the plate and the stiffeners due to stress effect caused by deformation of lamina skin and stiffeners then leads to the structural buckling of skin of the panel. This research uses nonlinear Finite element approach to investigate the collapsing behavior using ABAQUS software.