AASHTO LRFD requires the use of longitudinal stiffeners in plate girder webs when the web slenderness D/tw is greater than 150. This practice is intended to limit the lateral flexing of the web plate during construction and at service conditions. AASHTO accounts for an increase in the web bend buckling resistance due to the presence of a longitudinal stiffener. However, when the theoretical bend buckling capacity of the stiffened web is exceeded under strength load conditions, the Specifications do not consider any contribution from the longitudinal stiffener to the girder resistance. That is, the AASHTO LRFD web bend buckling strength reduction factor Rb applied in these cases is based on an idealization of the web neglecting the longitudinal stiffener. This deficiency can have significant impact on girder resistance in regions of negative flexure. This research is aimed at evaluating the improvements that may be achieved by fully considering the contribution of web longitudinal stiffeners to the girder flexural resistance. Based on refined FE test simulations, this research establishes that minimum size longitudinal stiffeners, per current AASHTO LRFD requirements, contribute significantly to the post buckling flexural resistance of plate girders, and can bring as much as a 60% increase in the flexural strength of the girder. A simple cross-section Rb model is proposed that can be used to calculate the girder flexural resistance at the yield limit state. This model is developed based on test simulations of straight homogenous girders subjected to pure bending, and is tested extensively and validated for hybrid girders and other limit states. It is found that there is a substantial deviation between the AISC/AASHTO LTB resistance equations and common FE test simulations. Research is conducted to determine the appropriate parameters to use in FE test simulations. Recommended parameters are identified that provide a best fit to the mean of experimental data. Based on FE simulations on unstiffened girders using these recommended parameters, a modified LTB resistance equation is proposed. This equation, used in conjunction with the proposed Rb model also provides an improved handling of combined web buckling and LTB of longitudinally stiffened plate girders. It is observed that the noncompact web slenderness limit in the Specifications, which is an approximation based on nearly rigid edge conditions for the buckling of the web plate in flexure is optimistic for certain cross-sections with narrow flanges. This research establishes that the degree of restraint at the edges of the web depend largely on the relative areas of the adjoining flanges and the area of the web. An improved equation for the noncompact web slenderness limit is proposed which leads to a better understanding and representation of the behavior of these types of members.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T15:03:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 pre-textuais Rodrigo Fernandes.pdf: 349523 bytes, checksum: 27a5e6d7df167303c662872391301d36 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-10-01 / This work contains a theoretical analysis of the behavior of plate girders. A plate girder has been calculated based on the criteria of the American standard Manual of Steel Construction Load and Resistance Factor Design (AISC, 1994), and checked by the Brazilian standard NBR 8800: Projeto e execução de estruturas de aço de edifícios (método dos estados limites) (ABNT, 1986), the revision project of the Brazilian standard Projeto de Revisão da NBR 8800: Projeto e execução de estruturas de aço e de estruturas mistas aço-concreto de edifícios (ABNT, 2003), the revision project of the Brazilian standard Projeto de Revisão da NBR 8800: Projeto de estruturas de aço e de estruturas mistas de aço e concreto de edifícios (ABNT, 2007) and the European standard Eurocode 3: Design of steel structures Part 1.1: General rules and rules for buildings (CEN, 1992). PFEIL (1989) has calculated a plate girder by using the Brazilian standard NBR 8800/86. The calculated dimension have been checked by the mentioned standards. NARAYANAN (1992 apud OWENS, KNOWLES E DOWLING, 1992) has dimensioned a plate girder by using the British standard BS 5950: Structural use of steelwork in building. Part 1: Code of practice for design in simple and continuous construction: hot rolled sections (BSI, 1990), which has also been checked by the mentioned standards. Furthermore, theoretical analyses related to the calculus of plate girders presented by many authors have been considered. The main goal is to assess the criteria utilized by the standards for the calculus of plate girders. From the obtained results, for the checked girders, by the standards and related theories, a comparative analysis among the utilized criteria by the standards has been made. The reached conclusion is that the Brazilian standard and its revision projects has identical criteria compared to the American standard for the calculus of plate girders. The European standard presents slightly different criteria compared to the American standard; however, both provide close results one compared to another. The theories utilized have also provided close results from those obtained by the standards. / Neste trabalho é feita uma análise teórica sobre o comportamento de vigas esbeltas. Uma viga esbelta foi dimensionada com base nos critérios da norma americana Manual of Steel Construction Load and Resistance Factor Design (AISC, 1994), e depois verificada pela norma brasileira NBR 8800: Projeto e execução de estruturas de aço de edifícios (método dos estados limites) (ABNT, 1986), pelo projeto de revisão da norma brasileira Projeto de Revisão da NBR 8800: Projeto e execução de estruturas de aço e de estruturas mistas aço-concreto de edifícios (ABNT, 2003), pelo projeto de revisão da norma brasileira Projeto de Revisão da NBR 8800: Projeto de estruturas de aço e de estruturas mistas de aço e concreto de edifícios (ABNT, 2007) e pela norma européia Eurocode 3: Design of steel structures Part 1.1: General rules and rules for buildings (CEN, 1992). PFEIL (1989) dimensionou uma viga esbelta utilizando a norma brasileira NBR 8800/86. As dimensões calculadas foram verificadas pelas normas citadas. NARAYANAN (1992 apud OWENS, KNOWLES E DOWLING, 1992) dimensionou uma viga esbelta utilizando a norma britânica BS 5950: Structural use of steelwork in building. Part 1: Code of practice for design in simple and continuous construction: hot rolled sections (BSI, 1990), a qual foi também verificada pelas normas citadas. Também foram consideradas análises teóricas relativas ao cálculo de vigas esbeltas apresentadas por diversos autores. O objetivo principal é avaliar os critérios utilizados pelas normas para o cálculo de vigas esbeltas. A partir dos resultados obtidos, para as vigas analisadas, pelas normas e pelas teorias existentes, foi feita uma análise comparativa entre os critérios utilizados pelas normas. A conclusão a que se pôde chegar é que a norma brasileira e seus projetos de revisão apresentam critérios idênticos aos da norma americana para o cálculo de vigas esbeltas. A norma européia apresenta critérios um pouco diferenciados dos critérios da norma americana, mas fornecem resultados aproximados entre si. As teorias utilizadas também forneceram resultados aproximados dos resultados obtidos pelas normas.