On the buckling strength of stiffened elliptic paraboloidal steel panels

This paper reports the results of a numerical study undertaken on the buckling behaviour of lightly stiffened elliptic paraboloidal steel panels intended for use as long-span shuttering for lightweight concrete bridge decks, walkways and floors. Steel panel shutters of double curvature may allow the casting of concrete over relatively large spans while avoiding the use of supporting scaffolding and other intermediate props. Such long-span shutters are desirable when the ground below the deck cannot adequately support scaffolding, or the space below the deck carries traffic carriageways which should not be obstructed by scaffolding. In this study, the effect of the wet concrete is simulated as a uniform pressure normal to the shell surface (limiting case), while the dead weight of the hardening concrete is simulated as a uniformly distributed loading on the horizontal projection of the shell surface. The results show that panel rise and aspect ratio have a considerable influence on the buckling strength of the shutter. Tentative viability limits are established.