Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Buckling Behavior and Strength of Combined Opening Plate Girders in Passenger Ships

Abstract

High-stiffener-web combined opening girders used on passenger ships are prone to plastic hinge failures around the opening area and overall instability under combined and vertical loads, exhibiting complex buckling behaviors. In response to such situations, a series of numerical simulations and experiments on combined opening girders were conducted, considering several affecting factors such as opening shapes, initial crack defects, strengthening measures and stiffener web dimensions. On the basis of the verification of the reliability of the numerical method, the load-bearing characteristics of the combined open plate girders were investigated. It is concluded that the lumbar round opening can lead to localized plastic hinge failure phenomena, complicating the buckling behavior. In contrast, the inclusion of stiffeners can significantly improve the load-bearing capacity after the point at which instability occurs in the original specimen. In addition, detailed relationships between deformation trends and external loads are illustrated, which can be used as a reference for the optimal design of combined opening plate girders in actual ship structures.