Transverse Stiffener Requirements in Straight and Horizontally Curved Steel I-Girders

Abstract

Prior research has demonstrated that transverse stiffeners in straight I-girders are loaded predominantly by bending induced by their restraint of web lateral deflections at the shear strength limit state, not by in-plane tension field forces. This is at odds with present specification approaches for the design of these components. Furthermore, recent studies have confirmed that curved I-girders are capable of developing substantial shear postbuckling resistance due to tension field action and have demonstrated that the AASHTO LRFD equations for the tension field resistance in straight I-girders may be applied to curved I-girders within specific limits. However, the corresponding demands on transverse stiffeners in curved I-girders are still largely unknown. In this paper, the behavior of one- and two-sided transverse stiffeners in straight and horizontally curved steel I-girders is investigated by full nonlinear finite element analysis. New recommendations are developed for design of transverse stiffeners in straight and curved I-girders based on the results of this and prior research.