Objectives   In this paper, in order to record and analyze the buckling failure path of stiffened panels during the loading process, a method for measuring the three-dimensional deformation field stiffened panel was established.

  Methods  By means of the numerical simulations through finite element analysis software ABAQUS, several different sizes of stiffened panels was determined, and the loading tests were carried out. The full-field displacement and strain information were measured by 3D digital image correlation (3D-DIC) measurement system, which obtained buckling failure process of stiffened panels.

  Results  The results show that the buckling bulges appear in each bay of the stiffened panel in the initial compression stage, and the number of buckling bulges gradually increases as the load increases. In the post-buckling stage, the loading capacity of the stiffened panel decreases but the out-of-plane displacement continues to increase, and the buckling waves gradually develop into the final displacement distributions. The collapse modes of the stiffened panel are the overall buckling of the plating and the tripping of the stiffeners.

  Conclusions  The 3D-DIC measurement system is adopted to measure the whole displacement and strain fields of the specimens in the test and obtain the buckling failure path, which provides reliable information for the study into the theory and numerical calculation methods of the stability of stiffened panels.