Design of Transverse Stiffeners in Plate Girders with Corrugated Web

This study reports investigations into the effect of relative flexural stiffness of intermediate stiffeners γ on the failure zone location in the corrugated web. The study also aimed at obtaining stiffness criterion for intermediate stiffeners that depends on the magnitude of the plate geometry parameter α. To achieve the goals of the study, experimental investigations were conducted into load displacement paths of four exemplary SIN girders. They were simply supported girders, made to full scale, and composed of pre-assembled units. The phenomena occurring in the experiment were represented using the Finite Element Method. For FEM numerical analysis of girders with intermediate stiffeners, models with the web height of 1000, 1250 and 1500 mm, made from 2; 2.5 and 3 mm thick corrugated sheet metal were used. Due to the analysis of 52 girder numerical models, it was possible to propose the stiffness criterion of intermediate stiffeners. The criterion was based on the assessment of shear buckling strength of the corrugated web. Using the regression method, dimensionless coefficients of the stiffener stiffness ks dependent on the optimum stiffness γ were determined. Based on estimated coefficients of the stiffener stiffness ks, the absolute minimum stiffness of intermediate stiffeners Ismin used in corrugated web plate girders was calculated. It was demonstrated that the use of an intermediate stiffener, the stiffness of which is greater than Ismin , additionally leads to a change in the location of the site of the web shear buckling.

Stability of Open-Topped Storage Tanks With Top Stiffener and One Intermediate Stiffener Subject to Wind Loading

Aboveground vertical steel storage tanks use stiffener rings to prevent their shell wall from buckling under wind loading. The existing stiffener rings design rules from API 650 standard is known to be overly conservative. This study investigates the possibility of modifying the design rules by reducing the required size of the top stiffener ring to the same size as the intermediate stiffener ring. In this study, we used finite element analysis (FEA) to perform linear bifurcation analysis (LBA) and geometrically nonlinear analysis including imperfections (GNIA) to obtain failure load of modeled tanks. The buckling pressure load was obtained to ensure it is larger than the design pressure. Moreover, the effects of higher strength materials, different buckling modes, and various wind profiles were also studied to ensure the design suggested by this study is practical and universal to different situations. The results show that for cylindrical storage tanks, which only needs one intermediate stiffener ring, the size of the top stiffener ring can be set to the same size as the intermediate stiffener ring.