Nonlinear patch resistance performance of hybrid titanium-clad bimetallic steel plate girder with web opening

Abstract

Titanium-clad bimetallic steel (TCBS) is a new type of structural steel, which consists of TA1 cladding with outstanding corrosion resistance and Q235 mild steel base with good mechanical properties. Corrosion weakens the thickness of plates in steel members, which reduces the resistance capacity. The web thickness of the plate girder is relatively thin. Hence, the web is more prone to be weakened due to corrosion. To resolve the above issue, an innovative configuration of introducing TCBS into the plate girder as the web was proposed. The monotonic tensile coupon test results stated that TCBS has no evident yield plateau in its stress-strain curve. An experiment was conducted to investigate the nonlinear resistance performance of the hybrid TCBS girder under patch loading. After the experiment, the wave bending deformation of the web exhibited an axisymmetric distribution, where a tensile field was formed. The plastic hinge was formed in the loading area on the flange. No delamination or cracking in the TCBS was observed. A numerical modeling method for the hybrid TCBS plate girder under patch loading was established. Subsequently, a parametric study of the hybrid TCBS plate girder under patch loading was conducted using the proposed numerical modeling method. The effects of the material model, web opening location, web aspect ratio, height–thickness ratio, and loading location on the resistance behavior of the hybrid TCBS plate girder were thoroughly investigated.