ABSTRACT

A series of finite element analyses of steel web girders subjected to local imposed deformations, are conducted, simulating the scenario of ship stranding. Finite element models of unstiffened, longitudinally and vertically stiffened web girders are established, solved and validated against experimental results. By applying local deformations imposed by a rigid indenter, the crushing resistance of the web girders are calculated, and the results are analysed and discussed. The maximum crushing force of the studied web girder increases by 36% with the presence of vertical stiffeners, while the longitudinal stiffeners have very little contribution to the crushing resistance. Further analyses reveal that the thickness of the vertical stiffener has less significant influence than the location of the indentation on the crushing behaviour of the web girders.