Shear Capacity of Hybrid Plate Girders
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 12, Issue 5
Abstract
The AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, in versions up to and including the 2003 interim, limit the shear resistance of hybrid steel I-girders to the shear buckling or shear yield load and prevent consideration of the additional capacity due to tension field action, which homogeneous girders are allowed to include. This limitation severely affected the economy of girders utilizing high-performance steel, whose optimum configuration is often hybrid. Therefore, an experimental investigation was initiated by the National Bridge Research Organization at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to address the limitation on the consideration of tension field action in hybrid girders. This paper presents the findings of that research. Eight simply supported steel I-girders were designed, constructed, and loaded to failure to investigate their failure mechanisms and shear capacities. All girders tested were capable of supporting loads greater than those predicted, considering full contribution from tension field action. Further, despite the coincidence of high levels of both shear and moment, relative to their respective capacities, the specimens were all capable of supporting loads greater than those predicted if shear and moment interaction were ignored. Due in part to the results of the research being presented, modifications appeared in the 2004 version of the AASHTO LRFD bridge design specifications such that the shear strength provisions apply equally to both hybrid and homogeneous girders.
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Acknowledgments
The funding of this project was provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), for which the writers are grateful. The opinions, results, and conclusions presented in this paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the FHWA’s opinions.
References
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© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 25, 2005
Accepted: Sep 11, 2006
Published online: Sep 1, 2007
Published in print: Sep 2007
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