Output details

Critical buckling of delaminated composite plates using exact stiffness analysis

Exact stiffness software developed at Cardiff provides a reliable, efficient alternative to finite element analysis in preliminary aircraft design, and was recently used by Airbus to achieve weight savings in the A320 NEO aircraft family (wolfgang.wohlers@airbus.com). This paper extends the analysis to model damage in composite wing panels such as those of the A350 and B787. Continuing research includes modelling and detection of lightning strike damage, using Cardiff’s Morgan-Botti laboratory. The analysis is also being used to develop novel “negative structure” models, in a collaborative project with the University of Waikato funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand.