Stiffened plates subjected to in-plane load and lateral pressure

Abstract

This research provides a study of the behaviour of stiffened plates subjected to in-plane loading and lateral pressure. The collapse load of stiffened plates with simply supported boundary conditions under combined action of axial compressive force and lateral pressure has been investigated experimentally by fabricating and testing twelve orthogonally stiffened steel plates. A proven finite element package ABAQUS is used to verify the experimental results. Parametric study has been carried out by considering parameters like base plate slenderness ratio, boundary conditions, intensity of lateral pressure, initial imperfection and residual stress. The behaviour of stiffened plates under both axial load and lateral pressure are discussed. Some conclusions are drawn from the experimental and numerical investigations.