First published in the 1983. This is third book of a planned set of volumes on the stability and strength of structures. The collapse a few years ago of four large box girders during erection precipitated a considerable research effort in many countries on the various design aspects of plated structures (such as box girders and plate girders). This book is addressed to structural designers and post-graduate students, a fundamental knowledge of structural mechanics is taken for granted; nevertheless, sufficient introductory material is included in each chapter to make the subject matter easily readable. This volume contains eight chapters, all of which are written by persons who have made notable contributions to the relevant subject area. The first four chapters are devoted to various aspects of the design of a plate girder and concentrate largely on the associated stability problems in shear. The four remaining chapters are largely concerned with stability problems in compression, such as those met in box girder flanges and ship hulls. Chapter 8 also highlights some of the complexities of interaction between different stresses. Thus the book covers a wide range of topics of relevance to both the designer and the student.