Plated Steel Structures

• Explain the underlying assumptions for advanced analysis models, including plate theory for both unstiffened and stiffened plates.
• Perform qualitative assessments as well as more detailed analysis of large advanced steel structures.
• Perform analysis and design of advanced steel structures from practice, including formulating relevant boundary conditions for plate fields in larger plate structures.
• Perform theoretical stress and deformation analyses of unstiffened and stiffened thin-walled plate structures using Navier’s and Rayleigh-Ritz methods (Energy method).
• Perform analysis and design of plate girders, including determination of post-critical capacity.
• Analyze and dimension welds in large advanced steel structures.
• Perform theoretical stability analysis of rectangular unstiffened and stiffened plates.
• Account for ultimate strength of rectangular, laterally loaded unstiffened and stiffened plate structures.
• Use a commercial FEM program to analyze and design both unstiffened as well as stiffened plate structures consisting of steel or alternative metallic materials.
• Determine the fatigue life and vibration characteristics of large advanced steel structures.
• Compare analytical, numerical and experimentally achieved results for a given plate structure and evaluate the quality of the results.
• Write a technical report containing analysis including the above mentioned points applied on a practical design example from a bridge, building, ship, offshore or industrial structure.

1) Unstiffened and stiffened plates: Differential equations, stiffness properties of stiffened plate panels, stress determination, boundary conditions, solution methods (Navier and Rayleigh-Ritz methods). Plates with large deflections.

2) Stability of plates: Analytical buckling solutions, the energy method, stiffened plates and the influence of imperfections.

3) Ultimate strength and failure mechanisms: Yield line theory, ultimate strength in compression for metallic plates.

4) Analysis and design of welds for larger steel structures.

5) Bending and stability of combined plate fields such as plate girders, bridge and ship cross-sections, including the influence of stiffeners and yield and supercritical load capacity.

6) Bending and stability of large lattice and jacket structures consisting of assembled bar and beam elements.

7) Fatigue-affected steel structures and fracture mechanics determination of fatigue life.

8) Vibration analysis of large steel structures and determination of natural frequencies.

9) Design principles and practical application of both analytical methods and FEM analyses for structures within typical applications of steel structures such as bridges, buildings, ships, offshore and industrial structures.

• 6 – 20 (Mon 8-12)

41955/41502/41957/41958/41815, or similar.

Lectures and project work

The course is relevant for both civil and mechanical engineering students, as well as neighboring fields.