Lecture 6

Pl t Girders
Plate Gi d

Professor Richard Liew

Ph D PE
Ph.D,
Department of Civil Engineering
National University of Singapore

cveljy@nus.edu.sg
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 Initial Size Selection

L/D  12
12-18
18 for simply supported beam

L/D  15-22 for continuous beams

Use non-slender sections

d/t < 120  (Class 3)
b/T < 15 

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Decisions to make
B

T
• depth of girder to use.
• dimension of the flange plates t D

• thickness of the web

• provision or otherwise of stiffeners
• spacing of stiffeners where
provided

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 Design Concept

• Webs to resist shear force

• Flanges to resist moment
a

t
d

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Minimum web thickness for serviceability:

(clause 4.4.3)
a) for webs without transverse stiffeners: t > d /250
b) for webs with transverse stiffeners
– where the spacing a>d t > d /250
– where the spacing a <d t >(d/250)(a/d)1/2
a

t
d

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 Minimum web thickness to avoid
compression flange buckling:
(clause 4.4.3.3)

a) for webs without transverse stiffeners:

t > (d/250)(pyf /345)
b) for webs with transverse stiffeners
– where the stiffener spacing a>1.5d
t > (d /250)(pyyf /345)
– where the stiffener spacing a <1.5d
t > (d/250)(pyf /455)1/2

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Moment Capacity
(clause 4.4.4.1)

If d/t<62ε

No shear buckling in the web

Design as for rolled sections (clause 4.2.5)

Mc = pyS for class 1or 2

Mc=pyZ or pySeff for class 3
Mc=pyZeff for class 4
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 Moment Resistance

If d/t>62ε

1. Low shear

2. High shear flange-only method

3. High shear general method

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Moment capacity d/t>62ε

(clause 4.4.4.2)
• For d/t>62ε, the web is susceptible to shear buckling
• Consider “low shear” if. Fv<0.6Vw
Vw = d t qw
qw = post buckling strength of plate
Panel

For low shear i.e. Fv<0.6Vw as for no shear buckling

Mc = pySx for class 1or 2

Mc=pyZ or pySeff for class 3
Mc=pyZeff for class 4
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 Moment Capacity d/t>62ε
with High Shear
For High Shear i.e. Fv>0.6Vw clause b
1) Flange to resist moment
Mc=Mf = pyf (BT)(D-T), ignore the web contribution
B
p yf
T

D D-T
D T

The web is designed for shear

2) General method in H.3
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Shear Buckling of Thin

Web Plate d/t > 62

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 Shear buckling resistance (2)
Simplified method

Tension
T i field
fi ld action
ti causes the
th webb to
t actt as the
th
Diagonals of an N girder truss
C
L a

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Shear buckling resistance (3)

Simplified method

• Vb = Vw = d t qw (clause 4.4.5.2)

• qw is the post-buckled strength of the web panel

using
i tension
t i field
fi ld action
ti from
f Table
T bl 21

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 Shear buckling
resistance (4)
Simplified
method

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 Shear buckling resistance (5)
More exact method (clause 4.4.5.3)

Plastic hinge locations

C
L a

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Shear buckling resistance (6)

More exact method (clause 4.4.5.3)

• If the flanges are fully stressed then the shear

buckling resistance is the same as for the
simplified method.
• If the flanges are not fully stressed then the shear
buckling resistance
Vb = Vw + Vf

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 Shear buckling resistance (7)
More exact method

Vw = d t qw and
Vf 

Pv d / a  1   f f / p yf 
2

1  0.15( M pw / M pf )
B
Mpf = yfBT2/4 T

Mpw = ywtd2/4
ff = mean longitudinal stress in flange d
D

= M/((d+T)BT)
Pv = shear capacity =0.6pyAv
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Shear buckling resistance (8)

More exact method
• ff is the mean longitudinal stress in the smaller
flange due to bending
• Mpf is the plastic moment capacity of the smaller
flange about its own equal area axis perpendicular
to the plane of the web
• Mpw is the plastic moment capacity of the web
about it's own equal area axis perpendicular to the
plane of the web

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 Shear buckling resistance (9)
• The simplified and more exact methods apply to
individual web panels and both methods may be used in
the design of the plate girder.
girder
• The simplified method may be used towards the centre of
a simply supported girder where the shear forces are low
and the flange forces high

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End Anchorage (clause 4.4.5.4)

Hq

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 End anchorage not required if
(clause 4.4.5.4)
• The shear capacity and not shear buckling is the
governing criteria in the end panel i.e.Vw=Pv
• A tension field is not formed in the end panel:
i.e. Fv < Vcr
where Vcr is the critical shear buckling resistance
of the panel which is given by:
if Vw = Pv then Vcr = Pv
if Pv  Vw  0.72Pv then Vcr = (9Vw - 2Pv)/7
if Vw  0.72Pv then Vcr = (Vw/0.9)2/Pv
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End Anchorage (appendix H4)

3 Types

• A single stiffener end post

• A twin stiffener end post
• An anchor panel

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 Stiffeners
W
a

(b) (a)
d (a) (b) (b) (c)

(a) bearing stiffener, load carrying stiffener and end post

(b) intermediate transverse stiffener
(c) intermediate transverse stiffener, load carrying stiffener
and bearing stiffener

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Maximum Outstand
(clause 4.5.1.2)

<19t s e
ts b =13t e
s s

Core area used for design

g

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 Bearing stiffeners
(clause 4.5.2.2)
Fv
Stiffeners
S iff to carry
the applied load
less the capacity of
the web

Area to be used for bearing

Capacity = py x Area > Fv - Pbw

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Web Bearing
t2
T2 r2
T
r
nk b nk n= 5
b 1 nk 2 1 2
nk
2 2

1:2.5
b1 = t2 +1.6r2 +2T2
(case c)
P bw = (b1 + nk) t pyw
n = 5, P bw =(b1+5k)t pyw Clause 4.5.2
k=T+r for a rolled section
k=T for a welded section

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Web Buckling Fx
ae b1 Strut with stiff
bearing length b1

ae
b1 Strut is influenced
by the end effect
25  t
Px  P
ae ≥ 0.7d b1  nk d bw
a e  0 .7 d 25  t
Px  P
ae < 0.7d
1 .4 d b1  nk d bw
No Effective Length (LE) in Equations?

Load carrying stiffeners

(clause 4.5.3.3)

15 tw 15 tw

Resistance = Area x pc

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 Determination of pc
Web
• Is= ts (2bs+tw)3/12 +
tw 15t w (30tw -ts) tw 3 /12
ts
• r = (Is/A)1/2
 = LE/r.
Stiffener
15t w • LE usually =0.7L
=0.7d
bs bs • pc from Table 24c.

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Intermediate transverse stiffeners

(clause 4.5.5 and 4.4.6)

• To prevent the web buckling out of plane it must have

adequate stiffness and strength.
Minimum stiffness (clause 4.4.6.3)
a/d > 2 Is > 0.75dtmin3
a/d < 2 Is > 1.5 (d/a)2dtmin3
• tmin is the web thickness
• There are additional requirements when external loads are
applied (see clause 4.4.6.5)

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Additional stiffness for external loads
(clause 4.4.6.5)
Minimum Is should be increased by
y Iext
Fx ex
Fh
t
D

T
(a) (b) (c)

Iext= 0 Fx ex D2/Et 2FhD3/Et

No increase
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Summary of design procedures

• Calculate the factored moment

• Choose a girder depth based on span (L/D =12)12)
• Calculate approximate flange sizes
• Ensure flanges are preferably class 1 or 2
• Choose a web thickness > minimum value
• Check the moment capacity
• If d/t>62ε then check the shear buckling resistance
• Check end anchorage requirements
• Design stiffeners
• Check any loads between stiffeners
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 Example
A plate girder consists of two 500 x 30 mm flange plates and a 1200 x 12 mm
web plate, both in S275 steel.
1. Find the moment capacity assuming that the moment is carried by the
flanges alone.
2. The shear buckling resistance by the “Simplified Method”,, assuming a
Simplified Method
stiffener spacing of 1.5 m.
3. The shear buckling resistance by the “More Exact Method”, assuming ff =
0.1pyf
Classification
Note that web satisfies
Flange thickness T > 16 mm pyf = 265 N/mm2
min. thickness
Web thickness t < 16 mm pyw= 275 N/mm2
requirement in Cl. 4.4.3.3
= 275 =1.02
=1 02
265
500  12
b/T = / 30 = 8.13< limit for a Class 2 flange (9 ).
2
The flange is therefore Class 2.
Web d/t = 1200/12 = 100 < the limit for a Class 3 web subject to bending, only (120)
The web is therefore Class 3. 35
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Moment Capacity

The d/t of the web is > 62 and will therefore be subject to
shear buckling, assuming that the shear is high. The flanges
are not slender. Therefore, try the flanges only method to
calculate the moment capacity.
Mc = pyf Af hs = 265 x 500 x 30 x 1230/106
= 4889 kNm
500
p yf
30

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Shear Buckling Resistance Using the “simplified method”,

Shear Bucklingg Resistance Vb = Vw = d t qw

For d/t = 1200 =100 and a/d = 1500 = 1.25

12 1200

Using a design strength = 275 N/mm2

qw =139 N/mm2 Table 21
Vb = d.t.qwVb= 1200 x 12 x 139/103= 2002 kN

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Using “More Exact Method (4.4.5.3)

The Shear Buckling Resistance of the web can be increased towards the end of the
girder, where the moment is low. Assume that in the end panel, the moment is not
greater than 10% of the moment capacity and that ff/pyf = 0.1

Vb = Vw + Vf but Vb  Pv
 500  30 2 
 
Spf= BT2/4 =  4  = 112500 mm3

Mpf = pyf Spf =265 x 112500/106 = 29.8 kNm

12  1200 2
Spw= td2/4 = = 4320 x 103 mm3
4
Mpw= pyfSpw= 275 x 4320/103 = 1188 kNm
Pv = 0.6 0 6 x 275 x 1200 x 12/103
0 6 py dt = 0.6 = 2376 kN

=

Pv d / a  1   f f / p yf 
2
=
2376   1  ( 0. 1) 
 1. 2  2

1  0.15M 
Vf  1. 5 
pw / M pf
  1188 
1  0. 15  29. 8 
= 270 kN   
The increased Shear Buckling Resistance Vb = Vw + Vf
Vb= 2002 + 270 = 2272 kN  Pv
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 Non-Composite Girders

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Steel Concrete Composite Girders

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 Boxed Girder

400mm 400mm
T
T

t t t

1000mm 1200mm

T T

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END

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