Local Buckling of Stiffeners in Ship Plating

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to analytically investigate the characteristics of local buckling of the stiffener web in the stiffened panels under uniaxial compressive loads. A plate-stiffener combination model is used as representative of the stiffened panel. The elastic buckling condition for the stiffener web is analytically derived by solving the characteristic value problem involving the governing differential equation under the corresponding loading and boundary conditions. A series of analyses of stiffener web buckling strength for varying proportions of plating and web/flange is carried out. Based on the computed results, a basic investigation of stiffener web buckling is made. Closed-form approximate expressions for predicting the buckling strength of the stiffener web are derived taking into account the influence of rotational restraints at the plate-stiffener web connection and stiffener web-flange intersections. Design considerations for potentially preventing buckling of the stiffener web are then discussed. The computed basic results for the stiffener web buckling coefficient are documented.