Evaluation on the residual ultimate strength of stiffened plates with central dent under longitudinal thrust

Abstract

The residual ultimate strength of stiffened plates with dent damage under compressive load was investigated by using the commercial software ABAQUS. The influences of some important factors such as the dent depth, dent size and dent angle, in association with the stiffened panel's ultimate limit state, were discussed in detail. Assuming that the stiffener is always perpendicular to the involved plate elements in the dent-producing process, a simple formula is proposed to represent the lateral deflection of the stiffeners and the dent. Based on the numerical results, the reduction factors of the compressive ultimate strength of stiffened plates are expressed as functions of the relative dent depth and dent length. In addition, the relationship between the residual ultimate strength of the stiffened plates and the dent inclination is also presented by a cosine function.