Cyclic Behavior of Perforated Stiffened Plates under Axial Forces

Abstract

This study consists of an analytical examination of the behavior of a stiffened plate with a hole when subjected to cyclic axial forces, and an investigation of the effect of the doubling plate reinforcement method. Parametric nonlinear finite element analysis is carried out with isoparametric shell elements with four nodal points, two surface models as constitutive laws, and an incremental method based on an updated Lagrangian method. This parametric analysis reveals that the ultimate strength of a perforated stiffened plate with or without reinforcement can be estimated using a modification of the formula for a nonperforated stiffened plate. It is notable that doubling plate reinforcement increases the ultimate strength but barely reduces the deterioration of postpeak strength and also that increasing the stiffness ratio of the stiffener effectively enhances the strength and deformation capacity of the perforated stiffened plate.