Computational modeling and Constructal Design method applied to the geometric optimization of stiffened steel plates subjected to uniform transverse load

The present paper shows a geometric evaluation of stiffened plates subjected to a uniformly distributed transverse loading. For that, it was proposed a set of different geometric configurations through the Constructal Design method, which were numerically simulated. Then, by means of the Exhaustive Search technique, a geometric optimization was performed aiming to minimize the central deflection of the plate. A non-stiffened plate measuring 2.00 m x 1.00 m x 0.02 m was used as reference, then a constant volume ratio ϕ, equals to 0.5, was taken from the reference plate and transformed into longitudinal and transverse stiffeners. The geometric parameters considered as degrees of freedom were: the number of longitudinal (Nls) and transverse (Nts) stiffeners and hs/ts, which is defined by the ratio between the stiffener's height and thickness. In order to elaborate the computational model, it is used ANSYS Mechanical APDL®, a software based on the Finite Element Method (FEM). From the results, it was possible to determine a power function for each combination of Nls and Nts that accurately described the relation between the central deflection and hs/ts. Furthermore, it was noticed a substantial influence of the geometric parameters under analyses regarding the studied structural element's mechanical behavior. Even though the volume was kept constant, the optimized geometry has shown a result 9110 % better compared to the one shown by the reference plate.