Stiffened composite panels are ideal for aircraft fuselage construction because of their excellent durability and optimal strength-to-mass ratios. The program provides a variety of element types for modeling layered composite structures. In this example, the eight-node solid-shell element SOLSH190 is chosen for its general applicability to layered structures and its continuum element connectivity that greatly simplifies the modeling process.

The unique properties of the SOLSH190 element used in this example greatly simplify the modeling of contact between thin parts. For example, when using SOLSH190 instead of shells, you do not have to worry about the section offset, contact surface orientation, or thickness change in large deflection.

The stiffened panel may undergo various local and global failure modes when subjected to a service load. This example focuses primarily on the global buckling of the panel and the progressive failure of the bonding material between different structural components. To simulate this highly nonlinear and unstable phenomenon, the nonlinear stabilization method and bonded contact with a cohesive zone model are used.