Experimental compressive strength analyses of high tensile steel thin-walled stiffened panels with a large lightening opening

This work investigates the compressive load carrying capability of experimentally tested reinforced steel panels with a large lightening opening. A series of experiments have been carried out on reinforced panels with circular and elongated circular opening of different sizes. The effect of different opening shapes, different opening sizes as well as different initial imperfection shapes and amplitudes, on the loading carrying capacity are studied. The resultant collapse modes are presented and both initial and post-collapse shapes are analysed and the sequential occurrence of the post-collapse deformation shapes have been analysed. The experimental results of force-vertical/lateral displacements relationships, strain energy density and stress-strain relationships are presented and analysed. Finally, the experimental results have been compared with other experimental ones for unstiffened plates with elongated circular opening subjected to uniaxial compressive load.