The effects of stiffener configuration on stiffened T-stubs

The stiffeners, also known as ribs, are utilized to increase the resistance of T-stubs. The author's previous studies showed that stiffeners can increase plastic capacity by an average of 1.71 times. A combined experimental and numerical study was undertaken to examine the effects of the stiffener configuration on the behavior of T-stubs. A total of 20 stiffened T-stubs where the shape and angle of stiffeners were considered as the main parameters were tested under monotonic loading. Rectangular, triangular and AISC types of stiffener were tested under monotonic loading. The experimental results indicated that when the height of the stiffener is equal to or higher than the length of the stiffener, the shape of the stiffener does not have an influence on the behavior. A numerical study using the finite element tool ABAQUS was carried out in order to further investigate the effects of the stiffener shapes. In this case, the height is considered less than the length of the stiffener. Moreover, the shape of the stiffeners was investigated with the different thicknesses of the stiffener. The simulation findings revealed that when the height of the stiffener is less than the length of the stiffener, the shape of the stiffener significantly affects the plastic capacity. Based on the numerical and experimental results, it is recommended to use the triangular shape of the stiffener when height is equal to or higher than the length of the stiffener while it is recommended to utilize the rectangular shape of the stiffener when height is less than the length of the stiffener.