Transient Dynamic Response of Arbitrary Stiffened Shells by the Finite Element Method

Stiffened plates and shells often find wide application in bridge engineering, aircraft, ship and allied industries owing to its high strength to weight ratios. They are often subjected to dynamic loading such as air blast loading, for which detailed dynamic analysis is required to study the structure under these conditions. In the present approach, the dynamic response of stiffened plates and shells has been investigated by the finite element method employing a high precision arbitrary-shaped triangular shell element in which stiffeners may lie in any arbitrary direction within the element. This provides greater flexibility in the mesh generation. The governing undamped equations of motion have been solved by Newmark’s method for direct time integration. The dynamic response of plates and shells with or without stiffeners, subjected to different kinds of load-history have been studied and results are compared with the published analytical results.