Abstract
In this paper, a stiffness method using a large-size plate elements covering one panel is applied for the three dimensional analysis of composite structures of plate and gril-lage. A method proposed here starts with the presentation of large rectangular plate element with all edges which are able to afford arbitrary displacements and forces. The stiffness matrices of each element are derived by the combination of analytical method and numerical method (point-matching method), and afterwards a block element transversely connected is made using a direct stiffness procedure. In addition, a relaxation technique is also used for jointing the block elements in longitudinal direction. The employment of such a relaxation technique permits to analysis of multi-panel plate structures by a small computer irrespective of the number of block elements. Numerical examples prove high precision of elements and usefulness of the presented method.
