A BEM formulation for analysing the coupled stretching-bending problem of plates reinforced by rectangular beams with columns defined in the domain (Q964752)

A boundary element method (BEM) for the bending problem of plates reinforced with rectangular beams has been extended to examine columns inside the stiffened plate domain. The plate model is based on Kirchhoff hypothesis. The presented BEM formulation is derived by applying the reciprocity theorem to zoned plates, where beams are treated as thin sub-regions with larger rigidities. The authors also consider the membrane effects. The columns are introduced into the formulation by considering domain points where tractions can be prescribed. The integral representations derived for this complex structural element take into account the bending and stretching effects of both structural elements working together. The performance of the proposed formulation has been confirmed by comparing the results with analytical solutions and with numerical solutions obtained by the well-known finite element code ANSYS.