Thin-plated structures are used extensively in building construction, automobile, aircraft, shipbuilding and other industries because of a number of favourable factors such as high strength-weight ratio, development of new materials and processes and the availability of efficient analytical methods. This class of structure is made by joining thin plates together at their edges and they rely for their rigidity and strength upon the tremendous stiffness and load-carrying capacity of the flat plates from which they are made. Many of the problems encountered in these structures arise because of the effects of local buckling. The knowledge of various facets of this phenomenon has increased dramatically since the 1960s. Problem areas which were hitherto either too complex for rigorous analysis or whose subtleties were not fully realized have in these years been subjected to intensive study. Great advances have been made in the areas of inelastic buckling. The growth in use of lightweight strong materials, such as fibre-reinforced plastics has also been a contributory factor towards the need for advances in the knowledge of the far post-buckling range. The conference is a sequel to the international conference organised by the University of Strathclyde in December 1996 and this international gathering will provide the opportunity for discussion of recent developments and trends in design of thin-walled structures.

Analysis and Design of Plated Structures: Stability, Second Edition covers the latest developments in new plate solutions and structural models for plate analysis. Completely revised and updated by its distinguished editors and international team of contributors, this edition also contains new chapters on GBT-based stability analysis and the finite strip and direct strength method (DSM). Other sections comprehensively cover bracing systems, storage tanks under wind loading, the analysis and design of light gauge steel members, applications of high strength steel members, cold-formed steel pallet racks, and the design of curved steel bridges. This is a comprehensive reference for graduate students, researchers and practicing engineers in the fields of civil, structural, aerospace, mechanical, automotive and marine engineering.