Research Info

This study numerically investigates the compressive buckling stability of Aluminium stiffened plates, which are critical components in marine structures and heavy machinery used in the textile industry, with a particular focus on the effects of crack orientation and eccentricity. Using linear finite element analysis (FEA), the plates were modelled with central and off-centre cracks under both clamped-free and simply supported-free boundary conditions. The analysis systematically varied the crack angle and its distance from the plate’s centre to understand their influence on buckling modes and critical load coefficients. The results demonstrate a significant reduction in buckling stability due to the presence of cracks. This reduction is highly dependent on the crack’s characteristics, as the most critical case for buckling occurs when the crack is oriented parallel to the stiffeners (at a 90° angle), significantly lowering the buckling load for both boundary conditions. Furthermore, the research findings of this article reveal that crack eccentricity plays a crucial role. For simply supported-free plates, the buckling load is most critically reduced when the crack is closer to the loaded edge (ey=80mm), while for clamped-free plates, the opposite is true. Quantitatively, a crack can decrease the buckling coefficient by approximately 11% in clamped-free plates and 17% in simply supported-free plates in the most critical configurations. This research provides essential insights into the failure mechanisms of stiffened plates, emphasising the importance of considering crack parameters in structural design and maintenance to ensure the integrity of marine structures.