Many engineering structures are imperfection-sensitive. A conversion to an imperfection-insensitive structure may be achieved by specific modes of stiffening. In this paper mathematical relations describing the sensitivity of the initial postbuckling behavior to such modes of stiffening is presented. Koiter's initial postbuckling analysis is applied in the context of the Finite Element Method to deduce these relations. They permit to determine whether or not a specific mode will result in a transition from imperfection sensitivity to insensitivity. Two relatively simple numerical examples serve as the vehicle to corroborate the theoretical findings.
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