Inserting plate stiffeners

Stiffeners can be inserted between a plate and a circular hollow section. To do this, click on the “Stiffeners” option in the top toolbar and select “Plate”.

Selecting the plate and the circular hollow section

First, specify the “Element” where the stiffeners are located – either a “Plate” or a “Section” – and select the corresponding “Circular hollow section”.

The stiffeners are arranged radially around the selected circular hollow section and parallel to the axis of the section.

Defining the geometry of the stiffeners

Next, the "Geometry" of the stiffeners is defined. This includes:

• Its “Thickness”,
• “Width X” and “Width Y” in the directions radial and perpendicular to the plate,
• The dimensions of the inner bevel ("Bevel X/Y (Inner)"),
• The “Type” of stiffener, either “Triangular” or “Rectangular”,
• And, in the case of rectangular stiffeners, the dimensions of the outer chamfer (“Chamfer X/Y (Outer)”).

Defining the position of the stiffeners

As regards the “Position” of the stiffeners, it should be noted that:

• The “Number of stiffeners” to be provided,
• The “Initial angle” at which the first one is located, measured from the position of the section’s local Y-axis,
• And the total “Angle” covered by the assembly, over which the stiffeners are distributed evenly;
• The “Location” of the stiffeners can be “On the front face” of the plate, “On the back face” or “On both faces”.

Defining the stiffener welds

Next, the “Welds” between the stiffeners and the “Plate”, and between the stiffeners and the “Section, are defined.

Within each section, the drop-down menus offer various options for specifying the position of the weld, the type of weld, the shape of the weld surface and the location where the work is to be carried out, either on-site or at a workshop.

You can also select the “Electrode” and specify whether the welds have an “Initial displacement” or “Final displacement”.