Buckling mode localization in rib-stiffened plates with misplaced stiffeners – a finite strip approach

Buckling mode localization in rib-stiffened plates with randomly misplaced stiffeners is studied in this paper. A method of finite strip is employed to establish the equations of equilibrium for the rib-stiffened plates under axial compressive load. The equations of equilibrium are then expressed in the form of transfer matrices. Localization factors, which characterize the average exponential rates of growth or decay of amplitudes of deflection, are determined using the method of transfer matrix. The results obtained from a finite strip formulation agreed very well with those obtained from a previous study using an analytical approach. The method of finite strip presented in this study is suitable for studying the localization phenomenon in buckling modes of rib-stiffened plates, especially those with nonuniform cross sections.