Shear buckling coefficients of web panels for composite girders considering flange-web stiffness ratio

Abstract

Designing a web panel for composite girders necessitates an accurate evaluation of the shear buckling strength. However, the current design specifications calculate the strength of web panels for composite girders conservatively. Additionally, its rational determination is missing in existing studies. This study investigates the shear buckling coefficients of composite girders through numerical analysis. The numerical analysis model assumes that the concrete slab fully restrains the web panel. In addition, the concrete slab of the composite girders in the numerical analysis model is replaced by equivalent top flange sections using a transformed thickness according to the modular ratio (n) of the concrete and steel. Additionally, the stiffness of the bottom flange and web panel is parameterized to evaluate the effect of their relative stiffness on the critical shear buckling strength of the web panel. The results show that the relative stiffness of the flange and web panel significantly affects the shear buckling coefficient. To determine the shear buckling coefficient by reflecting these structural characteristics, the relative stiffness is defined as the ratio of the torsional stiffness of the flange to the flexural stiffness of the web panel. The proposed formulas for the shear buckling coefficient of web panels for composite girders correlate well with the numerical analysis results. Since the accurate shear buckling strength can be derived from these formulas, the web panel for composite girders can be designed more accurately and economically.