Stability analysis of multilayered composite shells with cut-outs

A numerical stability analysis of an axially compressed multilayered composite shell is presented. The authors examine how the stability performance of a panel can be influenced by a centrally located square cut-out. The computations are performed within FEM computer program NX-Nastran (ver. 6.0). The stability is investigated by means of a linearized buckling analysis as well as of a non-linear large deformations incremental analysis. To get more insight into the performance of the layered structure, the failure index according to Tsai–Wu criterion is monitored in the study.