The current study is focused on the evaluation of the ultimate strength of stiffened panels found in ship hull structures that are subjected to combined uniaxial thrust, in-plane and out-of-plane bending moments. This loading condition, which is in general ignored when performing buckling checks, applies to representative control geometries (stiffener with attached plating) as a consequence of the linearly varying normal stresses along the ship's depth induced by the hull-girder vertical bending moment. The problem is generalized by introducing a non-uniform thrust described by a displacement ratio and rotation angle and by introducing the slenderness ratios, within the practical range of interest. The formed design space is explored through methods sourcing from Design of Experiments and by applying non-linear finite element procedures. Surrogate empirical models have been constructed through regression analysis and Response Surface Methods. An additional empirical model is provided to the literature for predicting the ultimate strength under uniaxial thrust. The numerical experimentation has shown that is a significant influence on the ultimate strength of stiffened panels as the thrust non-uniformity increases.
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