Dynamical analysis of stiffened plates using the compound strip method

The harmonic compound finite strip method has been applied to linear transient vibration analysis of stiffened plates. In this method, eigenfunctions of Bernoulli-Euler beam have been used as the displacement interpolation functions in longitudinal direction, while finite element shape functions have been used for it in transverse direction. The Kirchhoff–Love thin plate theory has been used and the equation of motion of structure is derived from Lagrange’s equation of motion. The governing equations have been solved by the mode superposition where step-by-step procedure has been used for the solution of modal equation. The stiffener has been modeled so that it may lie anywhere within the plate strip which helps to increase the flexibility in mesh generation. The formulation is applicable for rectangular plates stiffened with longitudinal and transverse beams and supported on columns. The proposed method is validated through several examples. The strips with free end give erroneous results for non-zero Poisson’s ratio.