Interacting stability behaviour of steel I-girders with corrugated webs

Due to its advantages corrugated steel plates are widely used in various applications. Engineers realized a potential application field in bridges, especially in composite bridges. When such a bridge is incrementally launched, the girder is subjected to combined action of bending moment, shear and transverse forces, resulting in a complex stress field and interacting instability phenomena. The current paper focuses on the experimental and numerical investigation of the structural behaviour of the girders with corrugated webs under all of the above mentioned actions. 12 large scale test specimens are investigated under combined patch load and bending moment. Based on the experimental investigations a numerical model is developed and the structural behaviour of the girders with corrugated web is analysed under the complex loading situation due to combined bending moment, shear force and patch loading.

► Combined bending, shear and patch loading of girders with corrugated steel webs are investigated.
► Based on previous patch loading experiments finite element model has been developed and verified.
► Based on the calibrated numerical model a parametric study is executed.
► Interaction equation is developed to determine the resistance under combined shear and transverse forces.
► Interaction equation is also developed to determine the resistance under combined bending and transverse forces.