Abstract
When thin web plates were subjected to shear force, the diagonal tension field develops in the web in post-buckling stage. At that time the vertical stiffeners work as the anchor of diagonal tension, and contribute to the ultimate shear strength. However, the effects of vertical stiffeners on the ultimate strength of a girder are not obvious in the past studies. In this study, the behavior of vertical stiffener at the ultimate state of plate girders are investigated closely, and an interaction curve of the ultimate strength under bending and shear is proposed, considering the flexural rigidity of stiffeners and torsional rigidity of the flange. Comparing the proposed formula with the experimental results, it is confirmed that this formula can evaluate the ultimate strength of plate girder with good accuracy.
