Numerical Investigation on the Residual Ultimate Strength of Central-Cracked Stiffened Plates under Tensile and Bending Loads Using XFEM

The present paper aims to study the crack propagating behavior of a stiffened plate under tensile and bending displacement load loads. The extended finite element method (XFEM) is used to analyze the residual ultimate strength of stiffened plates with a central crack. The quasi-static crack growth process is simulated by software ABAQUS. The validity of the grid is validated by the plate with a central crack. The numerical method is validated by comparing the fatigue crack growth rate of the round compact tension specimen (RCT) results of the extended finite element with experiment values. Influential parameters, including the size of the stiffened plates, heights of the stiffeners is varied, and uniaxial tensile and four-point bending models are analyzed. The results show that ultimate strength is reduced by the action of tensile and bending loads. The bottom plate and stiffener are destroyed with crack propagation, successively. With the increase in stiffener height, the crack resistance will also increase, thus restraining the central crack growth of stiffened plates.

Automated summary

The crack propagating behavior of a stiffened plate under tensile and bending displacement loads is studied using the extended finite element method (XFEM). The residual ultimate strength of stiffened plates with a central crack is analyzed with ABAQUS software. The validity of the grid is confirmed by a plate with a central crack, and the numerical method is validated by comparing fatigue crack growth rates from the extended finite element with experimental values of the round compact tension specimen (RCT). The results show that the ultimate strength of the stiffened plates is reduced by tensile and bending loads, with the bottom plate and stiffener being destroyed sequentially through crack propagation. Increasing the height of the stiffener enhances crack resistance, thereby restraining the central crack growth of the stiffened plates.