Tensile strength and failure behavior of T-stiffened panels with embedded delamination: experimental investigation

A comprehensive consideration of delamination location, delamination size and delamination quantity was focused to determine a quantitative evaluation of the influence of delamination on the tensile strength of T-stiffened panels under the out-of-plane tensile load. Moreover, the failure behavior of T-stiffened panels without delamination and those with delamination under tensile loading was also examined. A characteristic parameter about delamination in the stiffener/panel interface was proposed by means of the ratio (Sr) of the delamination size in the filler/panel interface to the filling area in the filler/panel interface. It is found that the delamination located closely to the stiffener/panel interface, especially closely to the filler/panel interface has the most significant influence on the tensile strength. Another interesting observation is that delamination in the stiffener/panel interface and the stiffener corner also changes the failure mode which cracks along the interior of panels near the adhesive layer.