PLATE GIRDERS

Introduction:
• A Plate girder is a type of beam built from plates of steel that are
either bolted or welded together.(typically it is an I-Beam)
• It is a deep flexural member used to carry loads that cannot be
economically carried by rolled beams.
• Standard rolled sections may be adequate for many of the usual
structures; but in case where the loads are heavy and the span are too
large plate girders are used.
Types of plate girders :

Bolted without Bolted with cover Welded plates

cover plates plates
Types of plate girders (cont..) :

Girder with side

Box girder
plates
Utility's:

 Railway & Road bridges

 Gantry structures

 Cranes and lifting structures

 oil and gas plat forms

 Buildings
Different Elements in girders:

Longitudinal
stiffeners

Transverse
stiffeners
 Bending ( Flexure) Buckling

• The behavior of a structural element • It is characterized by sudden sideways failure

subjected to an external load applied of a structural member subjected to high
perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the
compressive stress.
element.
• Stiffeners :

• These are the secondary plates/sections which are attached to beam webs or flanges to stiffen them
against out of plane deformations.

1. Bearing stiffeners : Load bearing web stiffeners or simply bearing stiffeners are vertical
stiffeners provided at points of application of concentrated loads and end reactions. When
they are provided at the end called as end bearing stiffeners.
• The bearing stiffeners are provided to prevent the web from crushing and buckling sideway, under the action of
concentrated load.

2. Intermediate transverse stiffeners :

• The function of intermediate transverse stiffeners attached on plate girder web panels is to provide simple supports
so as to reduce the panel aspect ratio, thereby increasing the shear buckling strength.

3. Longitudinal stiffeners :

• It can be applied to the compression flange to prevent buckling.

Types of Buckling :

1. Local buckling :
2. Global buckling :
• Flexural buckling
• Torsional buckling Generally we can observe in columns

• Flexural-Torsional buckling
• Lateral torsional buckling Generally we can observe in Beams
Local Buckling :
Local buckling is an extremely important facet of cold formed steel sections on account of the fact that
the very thin elements used will invariably buckle before yielding.

Global Buckling :
Flexural buckling:
This type of buckling can occur in any compression member that experiences a deection caused by
bending ,Flexural buckling occurs about the axis with the largest slenderness ratio, and the smallest
radius of gyration.

Example : like I-Sections…

Torsional buckling:
This type of buckling only occurs in compression members that are doubly-symmetric and have very
slender cross-sectional elements. It is caused by a turning about the longitudinal axis. Torsional
buckling occurs mostly in built-up sections, and almost never in rolled sections
Example : + sections…

Flexural-Torsional buckling:
• This type of buckling only occurs in compression members that have unsymmetrical cross-
section with one axis of symmetry.
• Flexural-torsional buckling is the simultaneous bending and twisting of a member.
Example: This mostly occurs in channels, structural tees, double-angle shapes, and equal-leg single
angles…..
Lateral torsional buckling (LTB) :
• LTB may occur in an unrestrained beam. A beam is considered to be unrestrained when its
compression flange is free to displace laterally and rotate. When an applied load causes
both lateral displacement and twisting of a member lateral torsional buckling has occurred.

Modes of Failure :
• The modes of failure of a plate girder are by yielding of the tension flange and buckling of the
compression flange.

• The compression flange buckling can take place in various ways, such as vertical buckling into the
web, flange local buckling, or lateral torsional buckling
Preliminary Design Procedures :
• The identification of a laterally supported member as a beam or a plate girder is decided based on
𝑑
the ratio,
𝑡𝑤

𝑑
If < 67𝜀 Beam design procedure
𝑡𝑤

𝑑
If > 67𝜀 Plate Girder design procedure
𝑡𝑤

Where,`
d - depth of the beam
𝑡𝑤 - thickness of the web
250
𝜀 - ; 𝑓𝑦 - yield strength
𝑓𝑦
Preliminary sizing:
• The depth of plate girder is important because it governs the stiffness and bending resistance,

𝑫 𝟏 𝟏
= to for girders in building
𝑳 𝟏𝟓 𝟐𝟓

𝑫 𝟏 𝟏
= to for girders in highway bridges
𝑳 𝟏𝟐 𝟏𝟖

𝑫 𝟏 𝟏
= to for girders in railway bridges
𝑳 𝟏𝟎 𝟏𝟓

where,

D = Full girder depth or overall depth L

L = Span Length
D
Minimum web thickness : ( IS 800-2007 , pg.no 63 clause 8.6.1)
 The thickness of the web in a section should satisfy the following requirements with respect to the serviceability,
a) when transverse stiffeners are not provided :

𝑑
< 200𝜀 (web connected to flanges along both longitudinal edges)
𝑡𝑤

𝑑
< 90𝜀 (web connected to flanges along one longitudinal edge only)
𝑡𝑤

b) when only transverse stiffeners are provided :(in webs connected to flanges along both longitudinal edges) ,

1. when 3d ≥ c ≥ d

𝑑
< 200𝜀
𝑡𝑤

2. when 0.74d ≤ c < d

𝑑 250
< 200𝜀𝑤 𝜀𝑤 = yield stress ratio of web = = 𝑓𝑦𝑤 =yield stress of the web
𝑡𝑤 𝑓𝑦𝑤
Minimum web thickness : ( IS 800-2007 , cont.….)
3) when c < d
𝑑
< 270 𝜀𝑤
𝑡𝑤

4) when c > 3d ,the web shall be considered as unstiffened.

C) when transverse stiffeners and longitudinal stiffeners at one level only are provided (0.2 d from compression flange)
according to IS 800-2000 - 8.7.13(a)

1) When 2.4 d ≥ c ≥ d
𝑑
≤ 250 𝜀𝑤
𝑡𝑤

2) when 0.74 d ≤ c ≤ d
𝐶
≤ 250 𝜀𝑤
𝑡𝑤

2) when c ≤ 0.74 d
𝑑
≤ 340 𝜀𝑤
𝑡𝑤
Minimum web thickness : ( IS 800-2007 pg.no.64 cont.….)
d) when a second longitudinal stiffener (located at neutral axis is provided)

𝑑
≤ 400 𝜀𝑤
𝑡𝑤

Where,
d = depth of the web
𝑡𝑤 = thickness of the web
c = spacing of transverse stiffener (the distance between stiffener to stiffener)
250
𝜀𝑤 = yield stress ratio of web = = 𝑓𝑦𝑤 =yield stress of the web
𝑓𝑦𝑤

Compression flange buckling requirement :

1) when transverse stiffeners are not provided :
𝑑
≤ 345 𝜀𝑓2
𝑡𝑤
Minimum web thickness : ( IS 800-2007 pg.no.64 cont.….)
2 ) when transverse stiffeners are provided and

i. when c ≥ 1.5 d

𝑑
≤ 345 𝜀𝑓2
𝑡𝑤

ii. when c <1.5 d

𝑑
≤ 345 𝜀𝑓
𝑡𝑤

where,
250
𝜀𝑓 = yield stress ratio of flange =
𝑓𝑦𝑓

𝑓𝑦𝑓 = yield stress of compression flange.

Tension field theory :
𝐶
• A plate girder with intermediate stiffeners (1≤ ≤ 3 ) derives considerable post buckling
𝑑
shear strength due to the tension field action.
• According to the theory of tension field action, there are
three components contributing to the predicted shear strength.
i.) primary buckling strength of the plate
ii.) due to the tension field action of the web
iii.) The plastic moment capacity of the flanges.

Tension field action

•