Mechanical behavior of steel-concrete joint with rear bearing plate in hybrid girder of cable-stayed bridge

Three types of steel-concrete joints are discussed, which are bearing plate joint, bearing plate joint with decks and bearing plate joint with cells. To investigate mechanical behavior of these joints, three refined finite element models are built, considering contact and relative slip between steel and concrete. Stress distribution of bearing concrete, shear forces in connectors and load carrying shares are analyzed. A parametric study is conducted to check the effect of the changes in bearing plate thickness and connector stiffness. Results of the analysis show a large amount of axial compressive force is carried by bearing plate supported by decks and ribs. Connectors near bearing plate carry few shear force compared with those far away. Stresses of concrete become more uniform using thicker bearing plate, while behavior of connectors is improved when perforated rib shear connectors are applied. Performance of joint with cells is proved to be encouraging that almost half of the huge axial force is carried by shear connectors. Concentrated stresses transmit smoothly from steel to concrete, even with thin bearing plate. Connectors worked properly when both headed studs and perforated shear connectors are used. Bearing plate joint with cells is competent for practical application in cable-stayed bridge with hybrid girder.