Effect of location and orientation of two short dents on ultimate compressive strength of a thin square steel plate

Thin plates are subject to several imperfections (including dents) which reduce the ultimate strength of plates. In this work, nearness effect of two short dents of same size on the ultimate strength of a thin square steel plate is numerically investigated. Dents are modeled on the FE surface of the undented plate by varying the location and orientation of dents and the centre distance between dents. These dented plates are analysed using non-linear FE static buckling analysis. It is found that the influence of second dent is not as appreciable as that of the first one, irrespective of parameters considered.