Evaluation of Flexural Ductility of Negative Moment Region of I-Girder with High Strength Steel

For continuous I-girder bridge, large negative bending moment is generated near pier region so that plastic hinge For continuous I-girder bridges, a large negative bending moment is generated near pier region so that plastic hinge is first formed at this point. Then, the bending moment is redistributed when the I-girder has enough flexural ductility (or rotational capacity). However, for I-girder with high strength steel, it is known that the flexural ductility is considerably decreased by increasing the yield strength of material. Thus, it is necessary to conduct a study for guaranteeing proper flexural ductility of I-girder with high-strength steel. In this study, the evaluation of flexural ductility of negative moment region of I-girder with high strength steel where yield stress of steel is 680 MPa is presented based on the results of finite element analysis and experiment. From the results, it is found that the flexural ductility of the I-girder is significantly reduced due to the increase of elastic deformation and the decrease of plastic deformation ability of the material when the yield strength increases. In this study, the method to improve the flexural ductility of I-girder with high strength steel is proposed by an unequal installation of cross beam and an optimal position of cross beam is also suggested. Finally, the effects of the unequal installation of cross beam on the flexural ductility are discussed based on the experimental results.