Longitudinally stiffened hybrid steel plate girders subjected to patch loading

Hybrid girders subjected to patch loading have been analyzed in a detailed fashion for the case in which the plates that assemble the girders are transversally stiffened. Scant work, however, is available for the case in which the girders are hybrid and, simultaneously, longitudinally stiffened. The driving force for developing the present research work is to complete the knowledge of the patch loading field for the particular structural alternative of a hybrid steel plate girder assembled with a longitudinal stiffener. In the current paper, a numerical database of 255 simulations on longitudinally stiffened steel girders subjected to patch loading developed by the authors is presented. The results obtained are used for assessing the resistance of longitudinally stiffened hybrid steel plate girders subjected to patch loading. Some discrepancies between the numerical and EN1993-1-5 results are pinpointed. A design proposal which enhances the current EN1993-1-5 formulation is given at the end of the paper.

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► The patch loading resistance does not depend upon the flange yield strength.
► The current formulation of EN1993-1-5 leads to structurally unsafe results
► The patch loading resistance depends on the flange relative proportions as well.