Shear buckling behaviour of sinusoidal corrugated web girders with stiffened circular openings

Abstract

The mechanical properties and failure behaviours of three different specimens of sinusoidal corrugated web girders with stiffened circular openings were investigated experimentally and numerically. The experimental outcomes showed similarities in the mechanical properties and failure model of the specimens, despite differences in the geometric dimensions. The numerical simulations further confirmed the buckling as well as post-buckling behaviours of the experimental results. The influence of initial geometric imperfections on the shear buckling load of the corrugated web girders was quantified and neglecting geometric imperfections led to an overestimation of the actual shear load capacity, emphasizing the importance of considering imperfections in the design of structural components. The investigation results showed that the shear load capacities of the girders were significantly affected by the thickness of the opening stiffeners, and that the presence of openings reduced the load carrying capacity and the overall stiffness of the beams, whereas the existence of opening stiffeners increased both the ultimate load bearing capacity and the global stiffness. However, the strengthening effect of the opening stiffener becomes less pronounced beyond a specific thickness. Besides, a comparison between hand calculations and numerical simulations show that the recently developed calculation method provided a more reliable prediction of the shear buckling resistance of corrugated web with stiffened openings. This investigation provides valuable guidance on the shear buckling behaviour of sinusoidal corrugated web girders with circular opening stiffeners, thus benefiting the design and analysis of steel structural components with sinusoidal corrugated web.