Use of physical testing data for the accurate prediction of the ultimate compressive strength of steel stiffened panels

Physical testing data can be used to predict the ultimate compressive strength of steel stiffened panels. Moreover, useful empirical formulae have been developed by fitting curves to data from relevant testing databases. A representative example is the Paik-Thayamballi formula, which is based on physical testing data available until 1997 and is a closed-form function of plate and column slenderness ratios. Since 1997, high-precision data-acquisition equipment and large-scale physical models have been used to generate databases contained advanced testing data of modern materials such as AH32 high-tensile steel made by the thermo-mechanical control process (TMCP) technology together with modern fabrication technologies, e.g., flux-cored arc welding technique, under a strict control of welding parameters, e.g., current, voltage, speed and heat input, to achieve a required weld leg length. It is therefore important to determine if these advanced testing data are compatible with the established empirical formulae. This paper describes benchmark studies which were conducted to determine such compatibility, with a focus on the Paik-Thayamballi formula, and summarises key findings and insights obtained from the present study.