Computational models for the ultimate compressive strength analysis of a steel stiffened plate structure at cryogenic condition

The aim of the present study is to develop computational models for the ultimate strength analysis of steel stiffened plate structures under axial compressive loading and cryogenic condition. As the number of vessels fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) are increasing, there are potential hazards that LNG leaks to hull structures, leading to cryogenic condition with a temperature of -160 deg. C. Under extreme compressive loading, steel stiffened plate structures under cryogenic condition can exhibit brittle fracture before and after ultimate strength is reached. The authors have shown such an evidence through a physical model testing on a large scale steel stiffened plate structures, which was presented in a separate paper. In the present paper, computational models using nonlinear finite element method are developed to simulate the ultimate compressive strength behavior of steel stiffened plate structures at cryogenic condition, involving brittle fracture. The numerical computations are compared with test database obtained from the physical model testing