Computation of Deflections for PC Box Girder Bridges with Corrugated Steel Webs considering the Effects of Shear Lag and Shear Deformation

Abstract EN

Prestressed concrete (PC) girders with corrugated steel webs (CSWs) have received considerable attention in the past two decades due to their light self-weight and high prestressing efficiency.

Most previous studies were focused on the static behavior of CSWs and simple beams with CSWs.

The calculation of deflection is an important part in the static analysis of structures.

However, very few studies have been conducted to investigate the deflection of full PC girders or bridges with CSWs and no simple formulas are available for estimating their deflection under static loads.

In addition, experimental work on full-scale bridges or scale bridge models with CSWs is very limited.

In this paper, a formula for calculating the deflection of PC box girders with CSWs is derived.

The longitudinal displacement function of PC box girders with CSWs, which can consider the shear lag effect and shear deformation of CSWs, is first derived.

Based on the longitudinal displacement function, the formula for predicting the deflection of PC box girders with CSWs is derived using the variational principle method.

The accuracy of the derived formula is verified against experimental results from a scaled bridge model and the finite element analysis results.

Parametric studies are also performed, and the influences of shear lag and shear deformation on the deflection of the box girder with CSWs are investigated by considering different width-to-span ratios and different girder heights.

The present study provides an effective and efficient tool for determining the deflection of PC box girders with CSWs.