Experimental Evaluation of the Ultimate Bending Moment of a Box Girder

The results of a four points bending test on a box girder are presented. The experiment includes initial loading cycles allowing residual stresses relief. Two indirect methods are presented for the evaluation of the residual stresses levels. The moment curvature relationship is established for a large range of curvature and the ultimate bending moment and the post buckling behavior are characterized. The distribution of stresses along the loading process is presented and the increasing lack of effectiveness of the stiffened panels is identified including an important inefficiency of the panel under tension load.