an interactive program for code checking of plane stiffened steel plate structures based on results from FE analysis
Stiffened steel plate design
The program has features for manual input of code check data and extensive automatic features for extraction of such data from FE analyses. It may also be used as a design tool independently of an FE analysis
How Platework is used:
A finite element analysis is first carried out to determine stresses in all locations of the structure. Platework is then used to code check the plate, stiffeners and girders of flat rectangular plate areas by automatically extracting the properties and loads of the specified plate area. It is also possible to manually define stiffeners and girders, change the material and thickness properties, and add in additional local loads.
The code check features are mainly buckling checks, with some yield check facilities. Platework is based on Capacity Model concept using the following Capacity Model types:
- Simple, non-stiffened plate
- Stiffener
- Girder
- Uniaxial stiffened panel
- Orthogonal stiffened panel
The stiffeners can be modelled by beam or plate elements in the FE analysis. The user may also work in a mixed mode; using automatic recognition of plates combined with manual insertion of girders and stiffeners.
The individual Capacity Models can be assembled into a stiffened panel called a Capacity Model Assembly representing a flat, rectangular area with main girders running parallel to two of the sides in the rectangle. The stiffeners run in the direction defined by the two remaining sides in the rectangle, while the plates occupy the area between the stiffeners and girders.
Stresses and forces computed in the FE analysis are automatically transformed into loads consistent with the code checking principles for each of the capacity models specified.
Benefits:
- Loads may be manually defined or changed
- Stresses can be automatically extracted from an FE analysis
- A load combination may be specified as a combination of FE analysis results and manually defined loads
- User control of how moments should be accounted for in code checking of stiffeners and girders
- Girder and stiffener section data may be changed
- Plate thickness may be changed
- Materials may be changed
- Non-rectangular plate shapes can be stretched into rectangular shapes through shape idealisation
- Print and display of selected results on screen and file with several options for sorting and filtering