Experimental and numerical investigations were conducted into the damage growth and collapse behaviour of composite blade-stiffened structures. Four panel types were tested, consisting of two secondary bonded skinstiffener designs in both undamaged and pre-damaged configurations. The pre-damaged configurations were manufactured by replacing the skin-stiffener adhesive with a centrally located, full-width Teflon strip. All panels were loaded in compression to collapse, which was characterised by complex postbuckling deformation patterns and ply damage, particularly in the stiffener. For the pre-damaged panels, significant crack growth was seen in the skin-stiffener interface prior to collapse, which caused a reduction in load-carrying capacity. In the numerical analysis of the undamaged panels, collapse was predicted using a ply failure degradation model, and a globallocal approach that monitored a strength-based criterion in the skin-stiffener interface. The pre-damaged models were analysed with ply degradation and a method for capturing interlaminar crack growth based on multi-point constraints controlled using the Virtual Crack Closure Technique. The numerical approach gave close correlation with experimental results, and allowed for an in-depth analysis of the damage growth and failure mechanisms contributing to panel collapse. The successful prediction of collapse under the combination of deep postbuckling deformations and several composite damage mechanisms has application for the next generation of composite aircraft designs.

The capability of a commercial industrial tool, ABAQUS, to simulate the critical damage mechanisms in stiffened composite panels has been evaluated. The analysis and conclusions are supported by experimental results. The focus is on skin–stringer separation during compressive loading. Results show that the advanced degradation modeling capabilities present in commercial codes today may lead to an accurate characterization of the deep postbuckling range behavior and the collapse of stiffened composite panels. Compared to current design practice, where the first indication of ply failure or the onset of damage propagation is taken as the failure load, the methods used here provide a way to exploit the reserves in composite structures. It is concluded that implementing degradation mechanisms (composite ply and adhesive interface degradation) presents a significant improvement to simulate accurately the deep postbuckling states and collapse for stiffened composite panels with adhesively bonded stringers. The nature of the final loss of load-carrying capacity for this type of structures, by composite ply and adhesive interface failure, driven by postbuckling deformation, makes this simulation approach essential.