ON THE BEHAVIOR AND DESIGN OF STIFFENED PLATES IN ULTIMATE LIMIT STATE

The behaviour and design of stiffened plates in the ultimate limit state are studied. A finite formulation for panel behavior considering general loading conditions, material properties, geometry, boundary conditions, and initial deflections is presented. Some results obtained by a finite element program are displayed and discussed. The problems considered comprise perfect and initially deflected plate-strips subjected to lateral pressure, single-span and two-span beam-columns under axial loading, and failure of a stiffened plate designed for simultaneous local and global buckling. Finally, design criteria are briefly discussed and recommendations for future work are given.