Design of Transverse Stiffeners in Plate Girders with Corrugated Web

This study reports investigations into the effect of relative flexural stiffness of intermediate stiffeners gamma on the failure zone location in the corrugated web. The study also aimed at obtaining stiffness criterion for intermediate stiffeners that depends on the magnitude of the plate geometry parameter alpha. To achieve the goals of the study, experimental investigations were conducted into load displacement paths of four exemplary SIN girders. They were simply supported girders, made to full scale, and composed of pre-assembled units. The phenomena occurring in the experiment were represented using the Finite Element Method. For FEM numerical analysis of girders with intermediate stiffeners, models with the web height of 1000, 1250 and 1500 mm, made from 2; 2.5 and 3 mm thick corrugated sheet metal were used. Due to the analysis of 52 girder numerical models, it was possible to propose the stiffness criterion of intermediate stiffeners. The criterion was based on the assessment of shear buckling strength of the corrugated web. Using the regression method, dimensionless coefficients of the stiffener stiffness k(s) dependent on the optimum stiffness gamma were determined. Based on estimated coefficients of the stiffener stiffness k(s) the absolute minimum stiffness of intermediate stiffeners I-smin used in corrugated web plate girders was calculated. It was demonstrated that the use of an intermediate stiffener, the stiffness of which is greater than I-smin additionally leads to a change in the location of the site of the web shear buckling.