Static and buckling analyses of stiffened plate/shell structures using the quadrilateral element SQ4C

Abstract

In the present study, a novel quadrilateral element, namely SQ4C, combined with the Timoshenko beam element is proposed for the static and buckling analyses of stiffened plate/shell structures. The idea behind these elements is a treatment for shear locking as well as membrane locking arising from the framework of the first-order shear deformation theory and a mesh with curved shell geometry. Formulations with eccentricity are also presented in this paper for the general case. The static and buckling analysis solutions and comparison with other available numerical solutions are presented to illustrate the robustness of the proposed elements to stiffened plate/shell structures. This paper also helps engineers in supplementing their knowledge.