Numerical study on the impact of longitudinal stiffeners ending within the buckling field

Typically, longitudinal stiffeners of plated structures pass through the entire girder (continuously) or span from one transverse stiffener to another (discontinuously). The present research deals with a design method predominantly executed in crane manufacturing – non‐continuous longitudinal stiffening. Non‐continuous longitudinal stiffeners end within the buckling field, i.e., leaving a gap ahead of the transverse stiffener or the end of the girder. To date, the standardization in EN1993‐1‐5 is limited to conventional longitudinal stiffening (continuous and discontinuous), as defined above. This paper deals with a numerical study aiming to obtain initial insights into the load‐bearing behavior of non‐continuously stiffened plates. Geometrically and materially nonlinear buckling analyses with imperfections (GMNIA) are performed to provide the foundation for a series of experimental tests. Alongside the realization of realistic boundary conditions, estimating the most realistic ultimate load‐bearing capacity is of particular importance to comply with the constraints in the laboratory. The simulations reveal a significant load‐bearing behavior and capacity modification compared with conventional longitudinal stiffening.