• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.469-479
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• 2017

Balanced cantilever construction is extensively used in the construction of prestressed concrete (PSC) box-girder bridges. Shear-lag effect is usually considered in finished bridges, while the cumulative shear-lag effect in bridges during balanced cantilever construction is considered only rarely. In this paper, based on the balanced cantilever construction sequences of large-span PSC box-girder bridges, the difference method is employed to analyze the cumulative shear-lag effect of box girders with varying depth under the concrete segments' own weight. During cantilever construction, no negative shear-lag effect is generated, and the cumulative shear-lag effect under the balanced construction procedure is greater than the instantaneous shear-lag effect in which the full dead weight is applied to the entire cantilever. Three cross-sections of Jianjiang Bridge were chosen for the experimental observation of shear-lag effect, and the experimental results are in keeping with the theoretical results of cumulative shear-lag effect. The research indicates that only calculating the instantaneous shear-lag effect is not sufficiently safe for practical engineering purposes.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.297-309
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• 2014

Under lateral loads Framed Tube (FT) system exhibits reduction of cantilever efficiency due to the effect of shear lag. Braced Tube (BT) represents a valuable solution to overcome shear lag problems by stiffening the exterior frame with diagonal braced members. This study investigates the effect of shear lag on BT and FT under wind load. Shear lag and top-level displacement results are compared with previous findings by researchers on FT and BT systems. The investigation of the effect of various configurations in BT on the reduction the shear lag is another objective of this study. The efficiency of each structure is evaluated using the linear response spectrum analysis to obtain shear lag. STADD Pro software is used to run the dynamic analysis of the models. Results show there is relatively less shear lag in all the BT configurations compared to the FT structural system. Moreover, the comparison of the obtained result with those derived by previous studies shows that shear lag is not proportional to lateral displacement. With respect to results, optimum BT configuration in term of lower shear lag caused by lateral loads is presented.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.27-41
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• 2019

Shear lag effect can be an important phenomenon to consider in design of the steel-concrete composite beams. Researchers have found that the effect can be strongly related with the moment distribution, the stiffness and the ductility of the composite beams. For continuous composite beams expected to sustain hogging moment, the shear lag effect can be more distinct as cracking of the concrete slab reduces its shear stiffness. Despite its influences on behaviour of the steel-concrete composite beams, a method for calculating the shear lag effect in steel-concrete composite beams sustaining hogging moment is still not available. Shear lag effect in steel-concrete composite beams sustaining hogging moment is investigated in this paper. A method was proposed specifically for predicting the effect in the cracked part of the steel-concrete composite beam. The method is validated against available experimental data. At last, FE studies are conducted for steel-concrete composite beams with different design parameters, loading conditions and boundary conditions to further investigate the shear lag effect and compare with the proposed method.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.84 no.3
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• pp.295-310
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• 2022

This paper proposes a modified bar simulation method for analyzing the shear lag effect of variable sectional box girder with multiple cells. This theoretical method formulates the equivalent area of stiffening bars and the allocation proportion of shear flows in webs, and re-derives the governing differential equations of bar simulation method. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified by the model test and finite element (FE) analysis of a simply supported multi-cell box girder with constant depth. Subsequently, parametric analysis is conducted to explore the mechanism of shear lag effect of varied sectional cantilever box girder with multiple cells. Results show that the shear lag behavior of variable box-section cantilever box girder is weaker than that of box girder with constant section. It is recommended to make the gradient of shear flow in the web with respect to span length vary as smoothly as possible for eliminating the shear lag effect of box girder. An effective countermeasure for diminishing shear lag effect is to increase the number of box chambers or change the variation manner of bridge depth. The shear lag effect of varied sectional cantilever box girder will get more server when the length of central flanges is shorter than 0.26 or longer than 0.36 times of total width of top flange, as well as the cantilever length exceeds 0.29 times of total length of box's flange. Therefore, the distance between central webs can adjust the shear lag effect of box girder. Especially, the width ratio of cantilever plate with respect to total length of top flange is proposed to be no more 1/3.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.207-220
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• 2008

The shear lag has been studied for many years. Nevertheless, existing research gives a variety of stress concentration factors. Unlike the elementary beam theory, the application of load is not unique in reality. For example, concentrated load can be applied as point load or distributed load along the height of the web. This non-uniqueness may be a reason for the discrepancy of the stress concentration factors in the existing studies. The finite element method has been often employed for studying the effect of the shear lag. However, not many researches have taken into account the influence of the finite element mesh on the shear lag phenomenon, although stress concentration can be quite sensitive to the mesh employed in the finite element analysis. This may be another source for the discrepancy of the stress concentration factors. It also needs to be noted that much less studies seem to have been conducted for the shear lag effect on deflection while some design codes have formulas. The present study investigates the shear lag effect in a simply supported box girder by the three-dimensional finite element method using shell elements. The whole girder is modeled by shell elements, and extensive parametric study with respect to the geometry of a box girder is carried out. Not only stress concentration but also deflection is computed. The effect of the way load is applied and the dependency of finite element mesh on the shear lag are carefully treated. Based on the numerical results thus obtained, empirical formulas are proposed to compute stress concentration and deflection that includes the shear lag effect.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.507-518
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• 2005

In the shear-lag analysis of structures deterministic procedure is insufficient to provide complete information. Probabilistic analysis is a holistic approach for analyzing shear-lag effects considering uncertainties in structural parameters. This paper proposes an efficient and accurate algorithm to analyze shear-lag effects of structures with parameter uncertainties. The proposed algorithm integrated the advantages of the response surface method (RSM), finite element method (FEM) and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). Uncertainties in the structural parameters can be taken into account in this algorithm. The algorithm is verified using independently generated finite element data. The proposed algorithm is then used to analyze the shear-lag effects of a simply supported beam with parameter uncertainties. The results show that the proposed algorithm based on the central composite design is the most promising one in view of its accuracy and efficiency. Finally, a parametric study was conducted to investigate the effect of each of the random variables on the statistical moment of structural stress response.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.73 no.2
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• pp.167-179
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• 2020

This study provides a simplified method for the evaluation of shear lag stress in rectangular box T-joints. The occurrence of shear lag phenomenon in the box T-joint generates stress concentration localized at both web-flange junctions of the beam, which leads to cracking or failure in the weld region of the joint. To prevent such critical circumstance, peak stress at the weld region is required to be checked during a preliminary design stage. In this paper, the shear lag stresses in the T-joints were evaluated using least-work solution in which the longitudinal displacements of the beam flange and web were presumed. The evaluation process considered particularly the effect of column flange flexibility, which was represented by an axial spring model, on the shear lag stress distribution. A simplified method for stress evaluation was provided to avoid solving complex mathematical problems using a stress modification factor β_s from a parametric study. The results showed that the proposed method was valid for predicting the shear lag stress in the box T-joints manually, as well compared with finite element results. The results are further summarized, discussed, and clarified that more flexible column flange caused higher stress concentration.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.81 no.4
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• pp.493-502
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• 2022

Shear lag phenomenon has long been considered in numerous structural codes; however, the AISC provisions have now no longer proposed any unique equation to calculate the shear lag ratio in bolted connections for angles in general. It is noticeable that, however, codes used in this case are largely conservative and need to be amended. A parametric study consisting of 27 angle sections with equal legs and different with bolted connections was performed to investigate the effects of shear lag on the ultimate tensile capacity of angle members. The main parameters were: steel grade, connection length and eccentricity from the center of the plate, as well as the number of rows of bolts parallel to the applied force. The test results were compared with the predictions of the classical 1-x/l law proposed by Mons and Chesen to investigate its application to quantify the effect of shear lag. A parametric study was performed using valid FE models that cover a wide range of parameters. Finally, based on the numerical results, design considerations were proposed to quantify the effect of shear lag on the ultimate tensile capacity of the tensile members.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.111-122
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• 2003

The paper presents a model for analysing the shear-lag effect on the slab of twin-girder composite decks subjected to static actions, support settlements and concrete shrinkage, which are the main actions of interest in composite bridge design. The proposed model includes concrete creep behaviour and shear connection flexibility. The shear-lag in the slab is accounted for by means of a new warping function. The considered actions are then applied to a realistic bridge deck and their effects are discussed. The proposed method is utilised to determine the slab effective widths for three different width-length ratios of the deck. Finally, a comparison between the results obtained with the Eurocode EC4-2 and those obtained with the proposed model is performed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.435-451
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• 2021

Shear lag effect was a significant mechanical behavior of steel-concrete composite beams, and the effective flange width was needed to consider this effect. However, the effective flange width is mostly determined by static load test. The cyclic vehicle loading cases, which is more practical, was not well considered. This paper focuses on the study of shear lag effect of the concrete slab in the negative moment region under fatigue cyclic load. Two specimens of two-span steel-concrete composite beams were tested under fatigue load and static load respectively to compare the differences in the negative moment region. The reinforcement strain in the negative moment region was measured and the stress was also analyzed under different loads. Based on the OpenSees framework, finite element analysis model of steel-concrete composite beam is established, which is used to simulate transverse reinforcement stress distribution as well as the variation trends under fatigue cycles. With the established model, effects of fatigue stress amplitude, flange width to span ratio, concrete slab thickness and shear connector stiffness on the shear lag effect of concrete slab in negative moment area are analyzed, and the effective flange width ratio of concrete slab under different working conditions is calculated. The simulated results of effective flange width are compared with calculated results of the commonly used specifications, and it is found that the methods in the specifications can better estimate the shear lag effect in concrete slab under static load, but the effective flange width in the negative moment zone under fatigue load has a large deviation.