Optimum design of stiffened plates for static or dynamic loadings using different ribs

The main requirements of modern welded metal structures are the load-carrying capacity (safety), fitness for production, and economy. The primary objective of attaching longitudinal stiffeners is to improve the buckling strength of relatively thin compression panels. This paper gives several comparisons for stiffened plates with different loadings (static, dynamic), different shape of stiffeners (flat, L-shape, trapezoidal), different steel grades, and different welding technologies (SMAW, GMAW, SAW), different costs to show the necessity of a combination of design, fabrication and economic aspects. Safety and fitness for production are guaranteed by fulfilling the design and fabrication constraints. The economy is achieved by minimizing the cost function. It is shown that the optimum sizes depend on the welding technology, the material yield stress, the profile of the stiffeners, the load cycles and the place of the production.