Residual ultimate strength of steel plates with longitudinal cracks under axial compression–experiments

The main objective of the present study is to examine the residual ultimate strength characteristics of steel plates with cracking damages under axial compressive actions through experimental investigations. The present study is a sequel of the author's previous paper (Paik, J.K., Satish Kumar, Y.V., Lee, J.M., 2005. Ultimate strength of cracked plate elements under axial compression or tension. Thin-Walled Structures, 43, 237–272). In contrast to the previous paper which dealt with transverse cracks located in the direction normal to the axial loading direction, the present paper is concerned with longitudinal cracks which are located in parallel to the axial loading direction. Similar to the previous paper, the orientation/location and size of cracks inside the plates are varied for the present experimental investigations. The details of experimental results are documented. The database and insights developed from the present work will be useful for cracking damage-tolerant design of steel-plated structures and also for condition assessment or health monitoring of aging steel-plated structures.