POSTBUCKLING ANALYSIS OF VARIABLE STIFFNESS COMPOSITE PANELS USING A FINITE ELEMENT BASED PERTURBATION METHOD

In earlier research the authors optimized variable stiffness panels for maximum buckling load, using lamination parameters. The aim of the present research is to analyze those optimized panels in the postbuckling regime so that further improvement can be achieved in the future with respect to its postbuckling performance. Because the incremental-iterative nonlinear analysis in the postbuckling regime is not feasible within an optimization loop a finite element based perturbation method (Koiter type) is used to compute postbuckling coefficients, which are in turn used to make a quick estimate of the postbuckling stiffness of the panel and to establish a reduced order model. The proposed perturbation method has been implemented in a general purpose finite element code. In the present work the postbuckling analysis of variable stiffness panels carried out using the reduced order model is presented and the potential of the approach for incorporation within the optimization process is demonstrated.