Influence of imperfection distributions for cylindrical stiffened shells with weld lands

The influence of imperfection distributions considering manufacturing characters on the buckling response of stiffened shells has not been satisfactorily understood. Stiffened shells with three types of weld lands were established, including axial weld lands, circumferential and sequential axial weld lands, as well as staggered axial weld lands. As a concept of equivalent imperfection, dimple-shape imperfections produced by perturbation loads were adopted to substitute the measured imperfections, in order to reduce experimental and computational costs. Firstly, the influence of imperfection positions on the collapse load was examined for single perturbation load. Then, the influence of imperfection distributions was investigated for multiple perturbation load based on Monte Carlo Simulation. Finally, detailed comparison of three types of weld lands was made from the point-of-view of load-carrying capacity and imperfection sensitivity. Results can provide general instructions about imperfection-critical areas for axially compressed stiffened shells, which are particularly crucial for the manufacturing process. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.