High-strength steel plate girders under patch loading: Numerical analysis and design recommendations

Abstract

Systematic investigations on the patch loading resistance of plate girders with different Q460, Q550, Q690, and Q960 high-strength steels (HSSs) were numerically performed with the purpose of proposing a design method suitable for plate girders with different HSSs. A numerical modelling method was proposed to reveal the resistance performance of a steel plate girder under patch loading. 39 experimental results on HSS, stainless steel, mild steel, and aluminum plate girders were used to validate the accuracy of the proposed numerical modelling method. The different HSSs, web aspect ratios, relative load lengths, and web height-to-thickness ratios were included in the parametric study. Based on the results of 192 finite element models, the effects of the key parameters on the ultimate resistance, effective resistance, and effective resistance stiffness were revealed. Subsequently, the design methods in the Chinese standard (GB 50017-2017), European standard (EN 1993-1-5), and American standard (AISC 360-16) were validated. The results indicated that the design method in GB 50017-2017 overestimated the ultimate resistance of HSS plate girders under patch loading, whereas the design methods in EN 1993-1-5 and AISC 360-16 underestimated the ultimate resistance. Subsequently, the design equations in EN 1993-1-5 were modified to accurately predict the ultimate patch-loading resistance of plate girders with different HSSs.