ELASTIC SHEAR BUCKLING OF Tapered STEEL PLATE GIRDERS with OPENING IN WEB

Abstract

Tapered Plate girders are considered the most efficient choice in design of the industrial buildings and bridges with large-span. Openings in the web of plate girders are frequently required to give space for services, resulting in increased fabrication costs and a reduction in load-carrying capability. The aim of the present paper is to estimate the critical shear buckling of tapered plate girders containing a circular or square opening. Finite element simulations were performed on 176 steel beams with prismatic and tapered web containing two different shapes of openings (circular and square). The analysis considers the effects of tapering angle, hole size with respect to the average height of the web, aspect ratio, depth to thickness ratio and the boundary conditions between the web and flanges. The numerical results are used to estimate an analytical expression for the critical shear stress of prismatic and tapered web panels containing a circular or square opening.