The aim of this paper is to improve the current shape limitation requirements of BS 5400: Part 3, which are known to be unduly conservative, especially when applied to assessment of existing structures. A practical method for designing flat-bar-stiffened
plating against local buckling, without limitations on section slenderness, is presented. Behavioural insight and validation is provided by 75 finite element (FE) solutions and by laboratory experiments. Strength curves for design are given, which are functions of the system critical stress, expressed as the critical slenderness parameters ëp and ës for the plate and for the stiffener. The system critical stress is found according to the method described in ref 1. The strength of the stiffened plate is then found by adding the plate strength to the stiffener strength.
S.K.G. Chou, J.C. Chapman and P.C. Davidson