Compression behavior of perforated plates in steel tower anchorage zones of cable-stayed bridges

• We carried out compression tests of steel plates with continuous elliptical holes.
• We established refined FE models for compressed plates containing these openings.
• We investigated influences of non-dimensional parameters on compression strengths.
• We proposed simplified strength prediction formulae for these perforated plates.

The compression behavior of perforated plates in steel tower anchorage zones of cable-stayed bridges is investigated in this study using experimental and numerical methods. The rectangular plates studied each have either continuous single-row or double-row elliptical holes and are simply supported on four edges in the out-of-plane direction. In the experimental study, twenty-five specimens, i.e., three non-perforated plates and twenty-two perforated plates, are tested under uniaxial compression using a self-balanced loading device. The elastic stress distribution, out-of-plane deformation, failure mode, and ultimate strength are tested. In the numerical analysis, finite element models with refined meshes are developed to predict the compression strength of the perforated plates with various structural dimensions. The finite element meshes are validated by comparison to experimental data. The influence of non-dimensional parameters, including the plate aspect ratio, the hole width to plate width ratio, and the hole spacing to hole length ratio, on compression strength is verified using numerous parametric studies. The results show that continuous elliptical perforations produce adverse effects on the mechanical behavior of compressed plates. The behavior alterations vary with the non-dimensional parameters of the plates and the holes.