FABRICATION OF STEEL BRIDGE GIRDERS WITH CORRUGATED WEBS

This paper analyses mathematically aspects of the use of corrugated steel webs in bridges. Corrugated webs have been used in France, but not yet for British bridges, apparently because they are considered too expensive to construct. The authors hope that their paper can improve the accuracy of estimated costs, lead to investment in appropriate equipment, and encourage designers to consider the use of corrugated webs. The best method of forming corrugations is probably cold pressing, one complete trough at a time. Lengths of web can be joined, either by overlapping and double fillet welding, or by friction-grip bolting, with or without cover plates. Methods that have been used for welding the web to steel flanges include submerged-arc profile-following equipment and profiled gas-shielded fillet welding; manual fillet welding seems to be the only alternative. Two methods for providing camber have been studied: (1) cutting both edges of each web plate before corrugating it; and (2) corrugating a web plate with straight edges, fixing its two bottom corners, and pulling the top corners apart to provide the required camber. Accuracy in pressing corrugations and the erection of plate girders with corrugated webs are discussed briefly.