Journal of Steel & Structure

Journal of Steel & Structure

Optimal Stiffener Design for Steel Shear Plates with Central Square Openings

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
SAA Hosseinzadeh 1
S.A. Hosseini 2
1 Department of civil Eng., Golestan Uni., Gorgan, Iran
2 Department of civil Eng., Golestan Uni., Gorgan, Iran,
10.22034/jss.2025.561922.1016
Abstract
In this study, a systematic finite element analysis procedure is developed to facilitate optimal stiffener design for steel shear panels with central square openings. The research investigates six different arrangements of horizontal and vertical stiffeners connected to one side of shear panels with varying opening sizes. Based on buckling analysis results, optimal stiffener dimensions (thickness and height) are determined for each stiffener configuration and opening ratio, presented through design charts. The objective is to design stiffeners such that they partition the panel into smaller subpanels by forming nodal lines, thereby transforming the local buckling mode into a global one. The buckling analysis results of the models show that the presence of an opening (with opening dimension to plate dimension of 0.2) relatively reduces the buckling capacity by approximately 33%, while using stiffeners increases it by a factor of 3 to 25. Results also demonstrate that both the presence of openings and stiffener arrangement significantly influence buckling behavior and optimal stiffener dimensions. Furthermore, nonlinear static and cyclic quasi-static analysis results reveal that for specific stiffener configurations, the global behavior and energy dissipation capacity of optimally stiffened perforated plates remain consistent across different stiffener geometries.
Keywords
Steel Shear Panel
Local Buckling
Optimal Stiffener
Finite Element
Buckling
Cyclic Analysis
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 24 November 2025
  • Revise Date 29 December 2025
  • Accept Date 30 December 2025
  • First Publish Date 30 December 2025
  • Publish Date 23 September 2025