Evaluation of Computational Analysis for Stiffened Slab Using Finite Strip Method

A rectangular slab stiffened by ribs oriented perpendicular to the support of the slab as structurally equivalent to an orthotropic plate has been analyzed using the finite strip method. The analytic formulation was obtained from the governing equation of motion of the plate using the classical plate theory to an arbitrary boundary and initial condition. The stiffness formulation from total internal energy was considered. The force-displacement equation technique by applying stiffness and uniformly distributed loading was used to obtain the modal solution and hence, displacement at an arbitrary point of the plate for the assumed harmonic function. Approximate stresses following the displacement are also obtained. The comparative solution of the equilibrium differential equation is obtained by means of convergent series expansions of levy plates and the application of Timoshenko and Woinowsky-Krieger averaging of bending rigidity, utilizing suitable orthogonal displacement functions. A computer procedure based on the finite strip method is given through the application of numerical examples, which shows that the procedure provides good results, especially with low discretization and computational effort.