Plastic load bearing capacity of composite highway bridges with stiffened webs

Plastic load bearing capacity of composite highway bridges with stiffened webs. The introduction of the Eurocodes made plastic design criteria available also for composite bridges, leading to more economical solutions compared with the previously elastic design rules. Particularly for old bridges with higher actual traffic loads, strengthening should therefore be avoidable or at least be necessary to a minor extent. For bridges with smaller spans and compact cross sections, the plastic load bearing capacity is clearly identified. In this paper the focus is placed on longer bridges with higher stiffened girders, susceptible to local buckling. In a first step, the cross section capacity in bending is studied as an isolated case, based on high preloads acting on the steel girder only, due to the common assembling procedure without framework. In a second step, the effects on the whole structure are studied, because utilising the plastic section capacity leads to a redistribution of internal forces. Based on the comprehensive study of an old, actual strengthened composite bridge, some limitations for plastic design are noticed. Moreover plastic design sometimes needs additional global analysis. Details of practical recommendations are given.