Finite Element Modelling of Delamination Buckling of Composite Panel Using ANSYS

Abstract

Delamination buckling analysis of composite panels is of considerable interest to aerospace industries. In this paper, finite element modelling of delamination buckling of composite panels is discussed. ANSYS 5.4 has been used for modelling the delamination buckling. A 3-D model with 8-node composite shell element is used. The panel is hypothetically divided into two sub-laminates by a plane containing the delamination. The two sub-laminates are modelled separately using 8-node composite shell element. Appropriate constraint conditions are added for the nodes in the undelaminated region using Coupled Nodes facility of ANSYS. The nodes in the delaminated region, whether in the top or bottom laminate, are left free. Using this modelling approach, a few typical test problems have been solved. The computed buckling loads and strain energy release rate values for the test problems tally closely with that of thoery and other researchers. In addition to the test problems, some results on delamination buckling of a woven-fabric carbon-epoxy composite panel are also presented. The two sub-laminate model discussed here provides a convenient approach to delamination buckling analysis.