A Numerical Investigation of Stress Distribution in Ship Deck Stiffener Panel Structures under Uniformly Distributed Load

Ship decks are commonly composed of stiffener panel structures, which consist of flat plates, longitudinal stiffeners, and transverse girders. These steel stiffener panels are subjected to significant loads when carrying cargo. This study aims to simulate the behaviour of stiffener panel structures under uniformly distributed load and identify the value of extreme stresses experienced by the structure and their corresponding locations. The results obtained provide valuable insights for optimizing and reinforcing the design of stiffener panel structures in the future. The research is divided into two main parts. Firstly, a finite element model of the stiffener panel structure was developed to obtain numerical simulation. Traditional holistic modelling of large deck structures can be time-consuming; hence, this part of the study focuses on proposing a simplified modelling approach while ensuring acceptable level of accuracy. The second part of the study involves utilizing existing theories, including Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and plate bending stress formulas introduced by Timoshenko and Roark, to calculate theoretical stress values at the critical locations determined in the first part. The calculated stress results were compared with the finite element analysis from the first part to validate the accuracy of the established model. The final results demonstrate excellent agreement between the outcomes obtained in the first and second parts of the study, confirming the validity and reliability of the approach used for stress analysis in stiffener plate structure.