Influence of boundary condition and stiffener type on collapse behaviours of stiffened panels under longitudinal compression

Abstract

A series of stiffened panels with different dimensions and types of stiffener are simulated under longitudinal compression in finite element code ANSYS. Two bays/spans model with periodic boundary condition is adopted to consider the influence of neighbouring members. The stiffened panel adopted in the finite element mode is generally cut from the deck or bottom of a ship hull girder, and thus, the constraint on their edges depends to some extent on the relative structural response of the adjacent members. Hence, to understand the effects of constraint condition on the collapse behaviour, an extensive parametric study is carried out, employing a wide geometrical range for bulk carrier and very large crude carrier. Moreover, considering various collapse modes, the load-carrying capacities of the stiffened panels are also investigated for various stiffener types. It is found that the biaxial stress state caused by longitudinal constraint could increase or decrease the load-carrying capacity of the stiffened panel, which depends on the collapse mode and should be noticed. The transverse constraint on the longitudinal edges could cause biaxial stress state, which might increase or decrease the load-carrying capacity of the stiffened panel, which depends on the collapse modes.