| This thesis shows that the application of pre-determined failure equations, derived from nonlinear finite element analyses, is effective for determining the ultimate strength of structural components, via a simpler linear finite element analysis.; This is shown by deriving failure equations from the nonlinear finite element analysis of fine-meshed components, and applying these equations in a linear analysis of a full coarse-mesh model of a complex stiffened plate structure. The method is called Simplified Failure Analysis.; The first step of the proposed method is the analysis of detailed fine-meshed nonlinear models of structural components to determine their ultimate loads. Next, linear models of the same components are analyzed under the application of the ultimate loads. The resulting stress distribution defines the failure stress for the component.; With the linear failure stresses known, a linear analysis can be used to model a complete structure consisting of similar structural components.; A structure composed of stiffened plates was created and analyzed to determine the ultimate strength of its components. The use of the proposed failure equation for this purpose proved successful. This was verified by a nonlinear finite element analysis. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
