Ultimate strength and repairing design method for stiffeners on the support of a plate girder end for highway bridges

Abstract

In this paper, the ultimate strength of the girder end with corrosion of a plate girder for Highway Bridges is studied by FEM analysis. We have dealt with the stiffener or web on the support, whose effective sectional area is lost by corrosion at the end of the bottom portion. The vertical stiffener on the support is designed as a column subjected to compression. But in the case that the thickness of the plate at the bottom end is decreased by the corrosion, it is considered that the limit state of the bottom-end is dominant. Finally, the design concept of the stiffener is also discussed.