Abstract:
Stiffened panels have widespread applications in thin walled structures due to their excellent strength to weight ratio and simplicity in fabrication. Conventionally, the strength analysis of stiffened panels using nonlinear finite element analysis is time consuming and expensive. A new strength analysis method is presented in this paper. The method is based on the state based philosophy where failure phenomenon is considered as a change between the intact and collapsed states of the panel. An exact formulation for the ultimate strength of stiffened panels is developed, and validated by comparing the results with those available in the literature.