Experimental investigation of the ultimate shear resistance of end web panels in steel girder bridges

Abstract

An experimental study was recently undertaken by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to investigate the effect of tension field anchorage on the ultimate shear resistance in end panels of steel girders. Four reduced-scale models were fabricated with one end stiffened with transverse stiffeners to provide anchorage for the tension field while the other end was unstiffened (unanchored). The models were instrumented and loaded until shear failure occurred. The main findings are (a) post-buckling tension field stresses were developed in the unanchored end-panels, (b) the magnitude of the tension field component was affected by the web slenderness ratio, and (c) the results showed inconsistencies in the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code procedure for calculating ultimate shear resistance of steel girders.