A NEW ISOPARAMETRIC PLATE ELEMENT FOR THE ANALYSIS OF SHIP STRUCTURES

The authors report on the development of a new isoparametric stiffened plate element for use in the static, dynamic and stability analysis of stiffened plates. The element can accomodate the stiffener anywhere within itself. Because it can also accommodate curved boundaries and shear deformation, the formulation is applicable to both thick and thin plates. A group of computer programs developed to produce a solution are discussed. The programs have been applied to a variety of problems involving the stiffened plate analyses and have performed extremely well.