• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.297-315
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• 2010

This paper is concerned with free vibration characteristics and natural frequency of horizontally curved composite plate girder bridges. Three-dimensional finite element models are developed for the girders using the software package LUSAS and analyses carried out on the models. The validity of the finite element models is first established through comparison with the corresponding results published by other researchers. Studies are then carried out to investigate the effects of total number of girders, number of cross-frames and curvature on the free vibration response of horizontally curved composite plate girder bridges. The results confirm the fact that bending modes are always coupled with torsional modes for horizontally curved bridge girder systems. The results show that the first bending mode is influenced by composite action between the concrete deck and steel beam at low subtended angle but, on the girders with larger subtended angle at the centre of curvature such influence is non-existence. The increase in the number of girders results in higher natural frequency but at a decreasing rate. The in-plane modes viz. longitudinal and arching modes are significantly influenced by composite action and number of girders. If no composite action is taken into account the number of girders has no significant effect for the in-plane modes.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.325-348
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• 2009

This paper is concerned with steel-concrete composite plate girders curved in plan. At the design stage these girders are assumed sometimes to act independent of the deck slabs resting on them in order to simplify the analysis. The advantage of composite action between the steel girders and concrete deck is not utilized. Finite element modeling of such composite action in plate girders is considered in this paper. Details of the finite element modeling and the non-linear analysis of the girders are presented along with the results obtained. Tension field action in the web panels similar to those observed in the straight plate girders is also noticed in these girders. Finite element and experimental results in respect of curved steel plate girders and straight composite plate girders tested by other researchers are presented first to assess the accuracy of the modeling. Effects of parameters such as curvature, steel flange width and web panel width that affect the behavior of composite girders are then considered in the analyses. An approximate method to predict the ultimate strength of horizontally curved composite plate girders is also presented.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1327-1336
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• 2013

In this study, the effects of corrugated webs on the ultimate behavior of horizontally curved I-shaped girders are investigated. Because of the geometric characteristics of corrugated plates, corrugated webs can be used for enhancing torsional and warping stiffness of plate girders. Many researches have been conducted to study the effects of corrugated webs on the ultimate behavior of straight girders. But, the studies of the ultimate behavior of horizontally curved girders with corrugated webs, which generally show out-of plane behavior manly, have been rarely performed so far. By performing inelastic-nonlinear analysis, the ultimate behavior of curved girders with corrugated webs is studied in this paper. Laterally unsupported length and subtended angle of girders, and length of height of corrugation of webs are considered as the geometric parameters which would be expected to affect the ultimate behavior. By this analytical study with considering the geometric parameters, the changes of ultimate behavior and load carrying capacity of curved girders with corrugated webs are investigated. Also, the effects of corrugated webs on the increase of load carrying capacity for curved girders are studied with comparing to the capacity of general curved girders with flat webs. According to the analytical results, corrugated webs can be used to increase the ultimate load carrying capacity of curved girders, because of their high torsional and warping stiffness. But, it is also indicated that they may decrease the load carrying capacity of curved girders which have relatively small subtended angle or initial curvature, because of an accordion effect.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.10 no.1 s.34
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• pp.47-61
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• 1998

The behavior of horizontally curved I-girder bridges is complex because the flexural and torsional behavior of curved girders are coupled due to their initial curvature. Also, the behavior is affected by cross beams. To investigate the behavior of horizontally curved I-girder bridges, it is necessary to consider curved girders with cross beams. In order to perform free vibration analyses of horizontally curved I-girder bridges, a finite element formulation is presented here and a finite element analysis program is developed. The formulation that is presented here consists of curved and straight beam elements, including the warping degree of freedom. Based on the theory of thin-walled curved beams, the shape functions of the curved beam elements are derived from homogeneous solutions of the static equilibrium equations. Third-order hermits polynomials are used to form the shape functions of the straight beam elements. In the finite element analysis program, global stiffness and mass matrix are composed, based on the Cartesian coordinate system. The Gupta method is used to efficiently solve the eigenvalue problem. Comparing the results of several examples here with those of previous studies, the formulation presented is verified. The validity of the program developed is shown by comparing results with those analyzed by the shell element.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.6504-6510
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• 2015

Horizontally curved I-girders are subjected to not only bending moments but also torsional moments. The torsional moment of the plate girder is addition of St. Venant torsion and non-uniform torsion. In the flange of I-shaped plate girder, a kind of open-section, the normal stresses is not distributed uniformly due to the non-uniform torsion. Because of that, one of compression flange tip can be yielded faster than the flange of general straight girder. In other words, the flange local buckling strength is decreased when the girder has initial curvature. In this paper, the numerical analysis is conducted to investigate the average stresses in flange for curved girders. The subtended angle and slenderness ratio are taken as parameters.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2004

The horizontally curved bridges have been used to connect bridges and roads. Until 1960s, they had been constructed with straight girders, called 'kinked girder bridges', which requires much cost and time-consuming construction of substructure. In case of using curved girders, practiced later, they would have many advantages such as reduction in the total construction cost and time, and ability to make aesthetic bridges. In designing plate girder bridges, it is necessary to determine the spacings between vertical stiffeners and the allowable shear stresses based on shear buckling capacity because it plays a key role in preventing the premature local shear buckling. Compared with the straight web, the critical shear buckling stresses of curved web panels vary with both aspect ratio and curvature coefficient. For designing curved web panels, a simplified formula and shear buckling coefficients were proposed by parametric models with F.E.M in this study.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2018

A curved member should resist bending and torsional moments simultaneously even though the primary load is usually supposed to be gravitational load. The torsional moment causes complicate stress state and also can result in early yielding of material to reduce member strength. According to analysis results, the strength of a curved member that has 45 degrees of subtended angle could decrease more than 50% compare to straight girder. Nevertheless, there have been very few of researches related with ultimate strength of curved girders. In this study, various kinds of stiffness about bending, pure torsion and warping were considered with a number of models in order to verify the main factor that affects ultimate behavior of curved girder. Lateral and rotational displacement of curved member were introduced as lateral-torsional-vertical behavior and bending-torsional moment interaction curve was derived. Finally, a strength equation for ultimate moment of horizontally curved steel I-girders subjected to equal end moments based on the interaction curves. The equation could take account of the effect of curvature, unbraced length and sectional properties.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.365-371
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• 2016

In the case of the superstructure which is consist of two I girders and slab, the section can behave as II section, so that the neutral axis with respect to out of plane direction flexure can be regarded as major axis. Therefore in-plane flexural mode might govern the free vibration mode. Meanwhile, horizontally curved girders always experience not only bending moments but also torsional moments although the primary load is usually supposed to be gravitational load. The interaction due to bending and torsional moments make the behavior complicated and torsional mode may govern the free vibration mode. In other words, structure can have different dynamic characteristic due to its initial curvature. In this research, using 3-dimensional sell elements, free-vibration analyses are carried out due to initial curvature. The analysis models are assumed to be composite and non-composite and finally natural frequency and eigen mode are discussed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.951-965
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• 2014

Point bending is commonly used for cambering and curving steel girders to large radii. In this system, a hydraulic ram or press is used to apply concentrated loads at selected points to obtain the required vertical (cambering) or horizontal (curving) curved profile from induced permanent deformations. This paper derives closed form solutions that relate loads to permanent deformations for horizontally curving wide flange steel beams based on their post-yield response. These solutions are presented in a parametric form to identify the relationship between key variables and their impact on the accuracy of the curving operation. It is shown that point bending could yield parabolic curved profiles that are within 1% of a desired circular curve if the span length to radius of curvature ratio (L / R) is less than 1.5 and the point loads are spaced at one third the beam length. Safe limits are then established on loads, strains and curvatures to avoid damaging the steel section. This leads to optimization of the point bending operation for inducing a circular profile in wide flange steel beams of any size.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.465-475
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• 2010

In the horizontally curved bridges, girders are subjected to the combined action of vertical bending and torsion due to their curvatures without any eccentric loads. As subjected to bending and torsion, the ultimate strength of steel/concrete composite box girders are limited by the diagonal tensile stress in the deck concrete induced by the St. Venant torsion. To determine the ultimate strength of composite box girders in bending and torsion and their interactions, this study conducted a 3-dimensional FEA and classical strength of materials investigation. Using ABAQUS, the FEA fully utilized advanced nonlinear analysis techniques simulating material/geometrical nonlinearity and post-cracking behaviors. The ultimate strength from numerical data were compared with theoretically derived values. Concurrent compressive stresses in the concrete deck improve the shear-resisting capacity of concrete, thereby resulting in an increased torsional resistance of the composite box girder in positive bending. The proposed interaction equation is very simple yet it provides a rational lower bound in determining the ultimate strength of concrete/steel composite box girders.