Improved design of transversally stiffened steel plate girders subjected to patch loading

Abstract

This article presents a mechanical formulation to estimate the strength of transversally stiffened steel plate girders subjected to patch loading, in this particular case, with closely space stiffeners. Steel plate girders with closely spaced stiffeners are occasionally found in bridge design and for such cases, the current EN1993-1-5 rules underestimate the strength of the webs to transverse forces. A FE-based parametric investigation is conducted to estimate the web strength to patch loading. The results are compared to the results obtained from classical beam theory in combination with the proposed formulation. A notional plate girder is analyzed to demonstrate the potential of the formulation for daily routine designs. Results indicate that the proposed formulation does a better job in predicting the web strength of transversely stiffened girders subjected to patch loading than the EN1993-1-5 specification, and thus yield a lighter and more economical design for these specific girder geometries.