Abstract
Structural elements of special industrial constructions can be often subjected to time variable stresses. One of the main stress is the snow action, which is considered to be one of the most severe tests. In the study, the static snow action on a tank cover from a pickling plant on the ArcelorMittal Galaþi platform is analysed. The material structure of the cover is sandwich type with skins made of steel /layered composite and core made of polystyrene foam. The purpose is to determine, by FEM analysis, the deformation mode and the stress condition of the cover under the action of load, for two models of sandwich type structures, steel-polystyrene-steel, respectively composite-polystyrene-composite, with different faces thicknesses and cores. Panels are applied simulative a load of snow of different thickness, the distribution of snow on the surface of the panels being considered uniform in order to determine an optimum combination of faces and core thickness as well weight and economic cost too. Numerical analysis models with finite elements of SHELL 3L sandwich type structures are used.
Keywords: finite element method; sandwich panel; buckling; static action