Abstract
Ultimate strength tests on plate girders curved in plan containing centrally placed circular web openings are reported. Girders, built up of Grade 43A rolled steel plates, were tested to failure and parameters studied include opening size and degree of curvature. Test results show that the ultimate load capacity of the girders dropped linearly with the increasing opening size. Decrease in ultimate load carrying capacity with increasing degree of curvature is also observed for curved girders having smaller web openings. The failure mechanism observed in the tests was similar to that observed in plate girders without web openings, the only difference being the position of plastic hinges on the flange plates. The girders were analysed using the elasto-plastic finite element package, ABAQUS. Comparison of analytical predictions with the experimental results for deflected profiles, ultimate load values and load-deflection relationships show good agreement.
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