Analysis procedure for stiffened plate systems using an energy approach

Abstract A procedure to analyze a stiffened plate system consisting of a plate supported by a network of steel girders is presented. Two types of plate systems are considered, one in which the beams run parallel to the span (called the ribbed plate system), and the other in which in addition to the ribs there are also cross beams provided which run perpendicular to the span (called the grid plate system). The beams are assumed to be rigidly connected to the plate. Such plate systems are commonly used for highway bridge decks and building-floor systems. The method of analysis is based on energy principles. Formulation of the deflection function for the plate, which is a product of a polynomial and a trigonometric series, is presented. This function is used to compute moments in the plate due to a general static loading. The results obtained are compared with finite element method, and it is concluded that the function obtained adequately represents the plate behavior and is computationally more efficient.