Normalized shear strength of trapezoidal corrugated steel webs: Improved modeling and uncertainty propagation

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of mathematical models for estimating the shear strength of trapezoidal-corrugated steel webs. The existing database of experimental data on trapezoidal corrugated steel web beams and girders is updated by adding more test results, yielding a total of 144 tests. The three-parameter model, previously developed by the authors based on Richards equation is reduced to a two-parameter improved version based on Hill equation. Both models were found to have, essentially, the same performance when compared against test results of the updated database. Based on the Akaike Information Criterion, the new model was retained. The performance of the improved and previously published models is reviewed and tested against the updated database of test results. It was found that the improved model performed better than the existing models in many aspects. An uncertainty analysis was performed on the proposed model considering both, geometric and material parameters as random variables. Bootstrapping and the Point Estimate Method (PEM) were employed to propagate uncertainty and construct confidence intervals for the normalized shear strength. It was found that, overall, the coefficient of variation of the normalized shear strength increases with the slenderness ratio.