MEng4/MSc Lectures 3 and 4: Introduction to Plate Girder Design 1 – Basic Principles

Introduction to Plate Girder Design 1 – Basic Principles

Introduction
The guidance given in these notes is based upon BS 5400: Part 3.

Modern plate girders are fabricated by welding together two flanges and a web plate.
(PG 1)

Plate girders are used where standard rolled sections have insufficient load carrying
capacity or stiffness.

Typical uses include long-span floors in buildings, bridge girders and crane girders in
industrial structures.

Each plate girder is designed individually to resist the applied actions using proportions
that ensure low self-weight and high load resistance.

For efficient design it is common to use a relatively deep girder; this minimises flange
area for a given applied moment.

A deep girder also provides a deep web whose area may be minimised by reducing its
thickness to the minimum required to carry the applied shear.

dw
Such a deep web may be quite slender (a high ratio) and may be susceptible to shear
tw
buckling and local buckling.

Two alternative design approaches may be used:

(i) provide stiffeners to improve the load carrying resistance but with a consequent
increase in fabrication cost.

(ii) provide a thicker web which does not require stiffening but with a consequent
increase in self weight.

Girder Types
Plate girders may take several forms.
(PG2)

- Unstiffened
- Transversely stiffened
- Transversely and longitudinally stiffened.

It is also possible to use different flange thicknesses (or breadths) to accommodate the
variation in applied moment.
(PG3)
The web thickness may also be varied to accommodate the variation in applied shear

C:\My Structures\MEng4\Collings\Introduction to Plate Girder Design 1.doc 03/11/03

MEng4/MSc Lectures 3 and 4: Introduction to Plate Girder Design 1 – Basic Principles

force.
The strength grade of the steel used for the flange and web plates may also be varied. This
can allow strength to be strategically provided whilst minimising self weight.

Plate girders which employ different steel strength grades are called ‘hybrid’ girders.

It is possible to closely match the load carrying capacity of the girder to the applied
actions
and minimise self weight.

Minimum weight design is not the most economic design approach in terms of fabrication
and erection costs.

A balance has to be achieved between excessive stiffening and excessive self weight.

(PG4)

The current trend is to minimise the provision of stiffeners since fabrication costs are very
high in relation to materials costs.

Proportions
(PG5)

Depth (h): Typically span/overall depth (h) = 15 to 25

h h
Flange breadth (bfo): Typically ≤ b fo ≤ (use 25 mm increments)
5 3

bfo 355
Flange thickness (tfo): Class 3 ≤ 12ε ε=
t fo σy

bfo
Class 2 ≤ 7ε
t fo

dw
Web thickness (tw): Class 2 ≤ 56ε (for the case of pure bending)
tw

No limits for Class 3 or 4

dw
In heavily stiffened webs, may range from 200-500 in order to
tw
minimise weight.

C:\My Structures\MEng4\Collings\Introduction to Plate Girder Design 1.doc 03/11/03

MEng4/MSc Lectures 3 and 4: Introduction to Plate Girder Design 1 – Basic Principles

Initial Sizing
Under static design loading, the ULS (strength + stability) will govern most plate girder
design.

The SLS (deflection and vibration) is usually less critical.

In addition to designing the girder to carry the loads in the finished structure, it is
essential to provide adequate strength and stiffness for the erection and subsequent stages
of construction.

It will usually be necessary to cross-brace pairs of girders for example.

A generally accepted method of initial design is to assume that the flanges carry all the
applied moment and the web carries all the applied shear, at any particular section.
(PG6)

Flanges - moment

Web - shear

Influence of Buckling
A plate girder comprises an assembly of relatively thin steel plates.

Two design approaches may be used:

(i) keep the plates stocky and base the design on yield strength with no stiffening -
the penalty is a relatively high self weight.

(ii) use thin, stiffened plates and minimise self weight - the penalty is a higher
fabrication cost.

In practice a balance between the two approaches is used and the various forms of
potential buckling may need to be identified and minimised by using stiffeners
strategically.

The various forms of buckling are:

(PG7)

- Shear buckling of the web

dw
Once the ratio of the web exceeds a limiting value (Fig. 11 BS 5400 Pt.3) the web
tw
will buckle before it reaches its shear capacity at yield ( A w .τ y ).

Shear buckling is characterised by diagonal buckles in the web.

(PG8)

C:\My Structures\MEng4\Collings\Introduction to Plate Girder Design 1.doc 03/11/03

MEng4/MSc Lectures 3 and 4: Introduction to Plate Girder Design 1 – Basic Principles

The introduction of stiffeners improves shear capacity and delays the onset of
buckling.

dw
The load at which the web buckles in shear is a function of both and the aspect
tw
a
ratio .
d

- Lateral Torsional Buckling of the girder

- Local buckling of the compression flange

b fo
Need to restrict
t wo

- Compression buckling of the web

Compression buckling can arise due to compressive bending stresses or axial stresses
or a combination of both.

Check effective section for global analysis in the absence of axial loads to check
whether the development of the full moment of resistance is possible. (cl. 9.4.2.5.1 BS
5400Pt.3).

- Flange induced web buckling

If the web is relatively thin it may not offer sufficient support to the flange. It is then
possible for the flange to cause the web to buckle like an isolated strut.

Transverse stiffness help resist this form of buckling.

- Local web buckling

A combination of vertical loading and overall bending action may cause local
buckling failure in the web.
dw
By using appropriate ratios and a combination of transverse and longitudinal
tw
stiffeners this type of failure can be prevented.

Post Buckling Web Strength

(PG9)

After a web has buckled elastically in shear it can still carry load.

The diagonal pattern of shear buckles allows the development of zones of tension called
"tension fields".

C:\My Structures\MEng4\Collings\Introduction to Plate Girder Design 1.doc 03/11/03

MEng4/MSc Lectures 3 and 4: Introduction to Plate Girder Design 1 – Basic Principles

Transverse stiffeners allow the tension fields to produce a system of shear resistance that
is analogous to an "N" truss.

Summary of Initial Design Considerations

Flanges - resist moment

Web - resists shear

Web to flange welds - resist longitudinal shear at interface

Transverse (vertical) stiffeners - improve shear buckling resistance

Longitudinal (horizontal) stiffeners - improve shear and bending resistance

C:\My Structures\MEng4\Collings\Introduction to Plate Girder Design 1.doc 03/11/03