Numerical investigation on the nonlinear shear behaviour of high-strength steel tapered corrugated web bridge girders

Abstract Recently, there have been many attempts all over the world to reduce the own weight of the superstructure of the bridges, as well as reducing the work and cost involved in construction. One attempt is to utilise the tapered (i.e. non-prismatic with varying depth) steel plate girders with corrugated webs (TPGCWs). The corrugated steel plates are widely used as structural elements in many structural applications because of their numerous favourable properties compared with traditional flat plates. Moreover, they have been used due to their aesthetical appearance, especially in the case of TPGCWs. On the other hand, the use of high strength steels (HSSs) has gained greater commercial interest over the last decades. The capabilities of these HSSs allow obtaining smaller structural parts and slender sections and less weight without compromising security. Hence, the present paper combines the advantages of the tapered corrugated webs and the HSSs by investigating the strength and behaviour of the TPGCWs built with HSSs. The corrugated webs considered in this finite element (FE) analyses have practical dimensions similar to those used in available bridges with corrugated webs. Accordingly, a nonlinear modelling, using the ABAQUS programme, was conducted on TPGCWs after validating the FE models through comparisons with the experimental results available in literature. Parametric study was, then, performed on TPGCWs to study their behaviour under shear loading using HSSs. Finally a new equation was proposed for calculating the ultimate shear strength of TPGCWs. Overall, this investigation expands the available engineering knowledge and assists in utilising the HSS, currently used in a wide range of applications, with the TPGCWs with their favourable aesthetical and structural characteristics.