Importance of instability in impact response and damage resistance of composite shells

The unstable loading response of convex shells is responsible for the differences in the plate and convex shell responses to transverse loading. The plate and the convex shell responses differ in terms of trends in the response parameters, and the damage extent and distribution. The instability helps the convex shells in dissipating impact energy through structural deformation, thus minimizing the impact damage. This concept of instability has implications for the designing of tolerant aerospace components.