On the Use of the Effective Width for Simply Supported Generally Loaded Box-Girders

Abstract

A new method for evaluating the effective flange width of simply supported rectangular box-girders in bending is illustrated. It aims to overcome the lack in the literature of a general method able to supply the effective flange width for a general distribution of loads along the beam axis, not restricted, i.e., to the few cases reported in standard codes. The method consists of finding an analytical expression for the effective width under sinusoidal loads of arbitrary wavelength and combining the results in the framework of a Fourier analysis. The model allows investigating the shear-lag effects on displacements and stresses. The analytical formulation proposed is validated against numerical results supplied by refined Finite Element analyses.