STIFFENED FLANGES CONTAINING OPENINGS

An approximate method for the analysis of stiffened flange plates, containing circular or square openings and loaded axially, is presented. The method allows for the loss in stiffness of plates by making use of the “effective width” concept. Systematic experiments that have been carried out on small-scale steel models of perforated stiffened plates are reported. The experimental results show that satisfactory prediction of ultimate loads can be obtained by the proposed method.