Study on the Shear Lag Effect of the PC Box Girder Bridge with Corrugated Steel Webs under Concentrated Loads

Abstract

There are few studies about the shear lag effect and the effective flange width of the PC (Prestressed Concrete) box girder bridge with corrugated steel webs throughout the world in current time. In the present paper, based on the three-dimensional finite element analysis for a long-span continuous PC box girder bridge with corrugated steel webs and the corresponding conventional box girder bridge with concrete webs, a comparative study on the shear lag effect under vertical loads are carryied out together with the analyslis on the coefficient of the effective flange width. The results show that in the PC box girder with corrugated steel webs, the transverse distributions of longitudinal normal stress on the section of the slabs are obviousely non-uniform and they are different with those in the conventional PC box girder with concrete webs. And moreover, the shear lag effects in top slab of the PC box girder with corrugated steel webs are almost less obvious than those of the conventional PC box girder with concrete webs. However, the shear lag effects in bottom slab of the PC box girder with corrugated steel webs are almost similar to those of the conventional PC box girder with concrete webs, no matter what kind of vertical bending moment the cross section is subjected to