Case Study: CRC-ACS achieves accurate composite postbuckling prediction with MSC Software's Marc and MSC Nastran

Accurately Solving Postbuckling Composite Stiffened Panels in Marc and MSC Nastran

CRC-ACS, a cooperative research centre, was engaged in a project to benchmark software for analyzing the postbuckling performance of composite stiffened panels, a critical challenge in aerospace design. They needed to verify the accuracy of various finite element analysis solutions, including MSC Software's Marc and MSC Nastran, against experimental data to predict panel behavior accurately.

MSC Software provided its Marc and MSC Nastran solutions to model a complex curved composite panel. The analysis demonstrated very close agreement with experimental data, accurately predicting stiffness and initial postbuckling mode shapes. This high-fidelity simulation capability allows for significant cost savings by reducing the need for physical testing, potentially saving millions of dollars on a new aircraft program.

CRC-ACS