Abstract

The paper overviews recent developments and research work for stiffened plates and shells in all the engineering applications. The first part reviews the analytical, numerical and modelling procedures that were developed for analysis of stiffened plates and shells. The review covers analysis of defective stiffened panels (i.e., with cracks, corrosion, material, geometric imperfections...etc). The structural idealization, the theoretical basis and the merits of these methods are also discussed. The paper also reviews design philosophies that were developed to predict the ultimate strength of stiffened panels. The influence of various parameters that affect structural performance are discussed. The optimization studies to minimize the weight of the structure are also presented. Related patents to the subject are also reviewed.

Keywords: Aircraft fuselage, box girders, buckling analysis, dynamic analysis, finite element analysis, plate girder, ship hulls, stiffened plates.