ENCE 710

Design of Steel
Structures
VI. Plate Girders
C. C. Fu, Ph.D., P.E.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department
University of Maryland

Introduction
Following subjects are covered:
Moment strength
Shear strength
Intermediate transverse stiffener
Bearing stiffener
Reading:
Chapters 11 of Salmon & Johnson
AISC LRFD Specification Chapters B (Design
Requirements) and F (Design of Members for
Flexure) and G (Design of Members for Shear)
2

Typical Plate Girders

AISC
Limitin
g
Ratios

AISC Design of Members for

Flexure
(about Major Axis)

Beam vs
Plate
Girder
Plate Girder: A deep
beam
Slender web problems:
1.Web buckling
2. Buckling of the
compression flange due to
inadequate stiffness of the
web
3. Buckling due to shear
(for doubly symmetric I-shaped

Vertical Buckling
(the compression flange)

(a) Lateral buckling

(b)Torsional buckling
(c) Vertical buckling

AISC Maximum Web h/tw

Stiffened girder (for a/h 1.5)

h/tw = 11.7 E/Fy (AISC-F13.3)

Stiffened girder (for a/h > 1.5)

h/tw 0.42E/Fy
(AISC-F13.4)

(S & J Table 11.3.1)

Unstiffened girder h/tw 260

AISC Nominal Moment

Strength

If h/tw 5.70E/Fy AISC Table B4.1 treated as rolled beams

If h/tw > 5.70E/Fy

Case 1 Compression flange yielding

Mn = RpgFySxc (F5-1)

Case 2 Lateral-Torsional Buckling

Mn = RpgFcrSxc
(F5-2)

Lb L p

Fy
(a)
Lp < Lb Lr
F(F5-3)
cr C b Fy 0.3Fy

(b)

Lb > Lr (F5-4, 5, 6)

(for WLB)

R pg

Fcr

Cb 2 E
Lb

rt

aw
1
1200 300a w

Lr L p

Lr rt
rt

b fc

E
0.7 Fy
12(1 a w / 6

hc
E

5.70
1
tw

Fy

aw = ratio of web area to compression flange area ( 10)

hc = 2 x centroid to inside face of the compression flange

AISC Nominal Moment

Strength (cont.)

Case 3 - Compression flange local buckling

Mn =
RpgFcrSxc
Fcr
a. p:
Fcr = Fy
b. p < r :

pf

Fcr Fy 0.3Fy

pf
rf
c. > r :

0.9k c

Fcr

bf

(F5-7)

(F5-8)
(F5-9)

2t
f

kc = 4/(h/tw)
and
0.35 kc 0.763
Case 4 Tension-flange yielding (Sxt<Sxc)
Mn = RptFySxt
(F5-10)

10

Limit
States in
Flexure
for plate girder
with slender
web (AISC-F5)

11

Comparison of LTB
(AISC-F5 with AISC-F2)

12

Classical Shear Theory

(applied to plate girder web
panel)

13

Intermediate Stiffener
Spacing

14

AISC Nominal Shear

Strength
If h/t 1.10 (k E/F ) w

Vn = 0.6 AwFy same as rolled beam

(G3-1)

If h/tw > 1.10 (kvE/Fy)

1 Cv
Vn 0.6 Aw Fyw C v

a
1
.
15
1

Except

(1)
(2)

(G3-2)

(S & J Figs. 11.8.1 & 11.8.2)

end panel
a/h > 3
or
a/h > [260/(h/tw)]2

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AISC Nominal Shear

Strength (cont.)

For 1.10 (kvE/Fy) h/tw 1.37 (kvE/Fy)

Cv = 1.10 (kvE/Fy) / (h/tw)

(G2-4)

For h/tw > 1.37 (kvE/Fy)

Cv = 1.51 kvE/[(h/tw)2Fy]

kv = 5 + 5/(a/h)2
5
otherwise

(G2-5)

if a/h 3 and [260/(h/tw)]2

(S & J Fig. 11.8.3)

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Shear Capacity Available

Figure 11.8.1
strength.

Shear capacity available, considering post-buckling

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Tension-Field Action.

Figure 11.8.2

Tension-field action.

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Buckling of Plate Girder Web

Figure 11.7.3
Buckling of plate girder
web resulting from
shear aloneAISC-G2

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Forces from Tension-Field

20

Force in Stiffener
(resulting from tension-field
action)

21

State of Stress

22

Intermediate Transverse
Stiffeners
(at nominal shear strength Vn including tension-field
action)

23

Shear and Moment

Strengths (under combined
bending and shear)

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Intermediate Transverse
Stiffeners
Intermediate Transverse Stiffener
(not required if h/tw 2.45E/Fy)
(1) Stiffness Criterion

Ist jatw3

(G2-6)

where j = 2.5/(a/h)2 2 0.5

(2) Strength Criterion

Ast > Fy/Fyst (0.15 Dshtw (1 Cv) Vu/vVn 18

tw2)0
(G3-3)
25

Intermediate Transverse
Stiffener
connection to flange

26

Bearing Stiffener
(effective cross-sections)

27

Bearing Stiffener
Bearing Stiffener
Rn Ru
(1) Bearing Criterion (LRFD J8.1)
= 0.75
Rn= 1.8 FyApb

(2) Column Stability Criterion

KL/r =
0.75 h/r
cFcr = LRFD Table 3-36
Reqd. Ast = Ru/cFcr

where r of 12 tw or 25tw
Reqd. t

(3) Local Buckling Criterion

(AISC 13th Edition Table B4.1 Case 3)
Min. t =

w/(0.56/E/Fy)

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Effect of Longitudinal
Stiffener on plate girder web
stability

29

Example
Girder loading and support for
design

30

Example Factored moment

and factored shear
envelopes for twospan continuous
beam of illustrative
example

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Example - Design Sketch

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