On the Optimal Shape and Placement of Longitudinal Stiffeners in Longitudinally Stiffened Plates

Longitudinal stiffeners are widely used in plated structures to prevent buckling of the slender plate elements and, therefore, to increase the load bearing capacity of these structures. There has been extensive research in the past regarding the shapes, sizes, and placement of these longitudinal stiffeners, however, there has been little research to make comparison between the different stiffener shapes across different numbers of stiffeners. The presented study compares the use of a single open stiffener, single closed stiffener, as well as the use of two open stiffeners. A numerical parametric study was conducted, considering different stiffener types, rigidities, and aspect ratios of the plates, for the cases of pure bending and compressions. The results of the study confirm that using a single closed stiffener or two open stiffeners is almost always more advantageous than the use of a single open stiffener. Furthermore, the study highlighted that it might be more advantageous to use two open stiffeners instead a single closed one.