Behavior study of the steel plate girder with a cellular honeycomb web

Based on the experimental test results of the authors, this investigation is concerned with the finite element analysis to examine and compare the load values and failure modes of the authors’ results. This research was conducted using the Abaqus software. The experimental work included the fabrication of twelve plate girders with honeycomb and flat web plate corrugation patterns, which were then tested under a single concentrated load at the midspan. According to the corrugation dimension or outer honeycomb web thickness, the honeycomb steel plate web girder is divided into three groups (60 mm, 80 mm and 100 mm). The specimens also involved plate girders with a flat web. The specimens were created with three lengths (600 mm, 1,200 mm and 1,800 mm). The Abaqus software was used in finite element models to simulate the concentrated load. The numerical results demonstrated that the 60 mm thick honeycomb web provides a greater load-bearing capacity and shear strength than other girders. The 20 mm honeycomb corrugation on the steel plate girder indicates the increased and improved shear resistance. The conclusion was that as the width of the corrugation increased, so did the steel web’s ultimate load and shear strength, resulting in a positive relationship between the critical shear buckling load of the web and the moment of inertia at the strong axis. When the dimension of the corrugation increases, the moment of inertia of the Y axis (I_y) decreases; thus, the plate girder will fail with a less critical buckling load (P_cr). Also, it can be concluded that as the steel plate thickness of the honeycomb web increases, the shear resistance increases as well. However, the spacing between the intermediate stiffener or the horizontal spacing of the web panel can enhance the shear resistance of honeycomb web girder if it was decreased due to increasing the action of tension field force that resists the diagonal tension developed at the web panel by the applied midspan concentrated force.