Residual shear strength of steel plate girder due to web local corrosion

• Shear buckling failure mode and behavior of a steel plate girder with local corrosion
• Residual shear strength of a steel plate girder depending on the local corrosion
• A residual shear strength reduction factor of a steel plate girder with local corrosion

Corrosion damage around the supports of steel plate bridges due to high humidity and depositions as well as rainwater and antifreeze penetration into drainage type expansion joints have been frequently reported. However, the residual shear buckling strengths and behaviors have not been sufficiently evaluated and its evaluation method has not been clearly established. Therefore, in this study, the shear buckling failure modes of web panels with local corrosion were numerically examined from their post-buckling behaviors as well as their shear buckling behaviors. Their shear buckling values were quantitatively evaluated from nonlinear FE analyses model by varying the corrosion conditions and geometrical conditions of web panels. In addition, the FE analysis results were compared with values calculated by a theoretical equation and design specifications. A residual shear strength reduction factor that could be used to estimate the residual shear strength of the plate girder with local corrosion was presented from the relationships between the residual shear strength and the corroded web volume.