Fast analysis of curvilinearly stiffened panels operating in the postbuckling field

A semi-analytical formulation is developed for the thermomechanical postbuckling analysis of innovative aerospace panels obtained by the combination of variable stiffness skins and curvilinear stringers. A formulation is proposed in conjunction with first-order shear deformation theory to model the skin and stiffeners. The nonlinear problem is formulated in the framework of the Ritz method and an iterative-incremental procedure is employed for the solution process. The results demonstrate the excellent level of accuracy guaranteed by the proposed method, making it an ideal candidate for gathering insight into the potential of innovative stiffened panels designed to operate in the postbuckling field.