A Method for Ultimate Strength Analysis of Plate Structures under In-Plane Compression and Lateral Pressure

Abstract

This paper is concerned with ultimate strength analysis of ship bottom platings, which are modelled as plane frames and subjected to combined in-plane compression and lateral pressure. Ultimate strength of the structure is evaluated by using a linearized plasticity condition of the section of the spatial structural element under the combined effect of biaxial bending moments, shearing forces and axial force to generate the safety margins of structural collapse modes, using a matrix method and a plastic node method. Dominant collapse modes are selected by aiding the socalled branch-and-bound method. The above methods are applied to a typical plate structure having orthogonal stiffeners. Through numerical examples and comparison with previous researches, the applicability of the proposed methods is demonstrated.