**4.1. Main objective**

12 Advances in Computational Stability Analysis

details can be found in [2].

Figure 12 illustrates the measured load-shortening curves of 10 tests with three selected pictures extracted from ARAMIS measurement obtained from the 360° measurement. Picture A and B are from the pre-buckling and Picture C from the early post-buckling state. Figure 13 compares the post-buckling pattern between test and Finite-Element simulation. The left picture is obtained by the 360° ARAMIS measurement. It agrees quite well with the simulation in the right figure. This buckling pattern was observed for all 10 cylinders. More

**Figure 12.** Load shortening curves of 10 tested cylinders and ARAMIS measurement

**Figure 13.** Postbuckling pattern. Left: Test results obtained by ARAMIS – Right: Simulation results

The main objective of DESICOS is to establish an approach on how to handle imperfection sensitivity in space structures endangered by buckling, in particular for those made from fiber composite materials. It shall substitute the NASA SP 8007, which is extremely conservative and not really applicable for composite structures, cf. Figure 5.

The DESICOS consortium merges knowledge from 2 large industrial partners (ADTRIUM-SAS from France and Astrium GmbH from Germany), one enterprise belonging to the category of SME (GRIPHUS from Israel), 2 research establishments (DLR from Germany and CRC-ACS from Australia) and 7 universities (Politecnico di Milano from Italy, RWTH Aachen, Leibniz University and the Private University of Applied Sciences Göttingen from Germany, TECHNION from Israel, TU-Delft from Netherlands and Technical University of Riga from Latvia). The large industrial enterprises and the SME bring in their specific experience with designing and manufacturing of space structures as well as their long grown manufacturing philosophies for high quality stiffened composite structures. The academic partners and the research organisations provide their special knowledge in methods and tool development as well as testing. This consortium composition assures the expected rapid and extensive industrial application of the DESICOS results.
