Experimental Evaluation of the Ultimate Bending Moment of a Slender Thin Walled Box Girder

Abstract

The results of a four points bending test on a box girder are presented. The experiment is part of series of tests with similar configuration but with different thickness and span between frames. The present work refers to the slenderest plate box girder with a plate's thickness of 2 mm but with a short span between frames. The experiment includes initial loading cycles allowing for partial relief of residual stresses. The moment curvature relationship is established for a large range of curvature. The ultimate bending moment (UM) of the box is evaluated and compared with the first yield moment and the plastic moment allowing the evaluation of the efficiency of the structure. The postbuckling behavior and collapse mode are characterized. Comparison of the experiment with a progressive collapse analysis method is made taking into consideration the effect of residual stresses on envelop of the moment curvature curve of the structure.