ULTIMATE RESISTANCE OF PLATE GIRDERS WITH THE OPTIMUM LOCATION OF LONGITUDINAL STIFFENERS SUBJECTED TO PATCH LOADING

Abstract

A numerical study was performed to investigate the ultimate resistance of longitudinally stiffened plate girders subjected to patch loading. The study was conducted by means of nonlinear finite element analysis. The finite element model was validated with experimental results taken from literature and found to be considerably more accurate. Extensive parametric study was also performed and presented graphically to examine the effect of geometric, mechanical properties and location of longitudinal stiffeners on patch strength. Furthermore, the ultimate patch resistance and the optimum position of the longitudinal stiffeners were presented in closed-form which showed satisfactory correlation with the theoretical results.