• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.39-59
• /
• 2014

Nowadays aluminum stiffened plates are one of the major constituents of the marine structures, especially high-speed vessels. On one hand, these structures are subject to various forms of loading in the harsh sea environment, like hydrostatic lateral pressures and in-plane compression. On the other hand, fusion welding is often used to assemble those panels. The common marine aluminum alloys in the both 5,000 and 6,000 series, however, lose a remarkable portion of their load carrying capacity due to welding. This paper presents the results of sophisticated finite-element investigations considering both geometrical and mechanical imperfections. The tested models were those proposed by the ultimate strength committee of $15^{th}$ ISSC. The presented data illuminates the effects of welding on the strength of aluminum plates under above-mentioned load conditions.