I have a structure composed of a plate (shell) and horizontal stiffening members (HEA sections). The HEA members are modeled with an offset relative to the shell. The loads are applied perpendicular to the shell.
My question concerns the design of the HEA members.
From a design perspective, what would be the correct approach to check these elements? Should the plate be verified using a Von Mises stress analysis and the HEA profiles using ULS checks based on internal forces?
I am unsure whether the forces obtained from the analysis model for the HEA members are “real” or representative for design purposes, given the offset modeling. How do you usually analyze and design this type of structure?
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