Sensitivity Analysis of the Effect of Initial Imperfections on the Steel Plate Girders Fatigue Limit State

journal article - other

English

The influence of initial imperfections on the behaviour of a thin-walled girder welded of slender plate elements is analysed in the present paper. The experimentally determined girder load-bearing capacity value was analysed. The ultimate load test was computer modelled by theoretical analysis. In so doing, the girder was modelled, using the geometrically and materially nonlinear variant of the shell finite element method, by the ANSYS programme. The random influence of all initial imperfections was considered and the sensitivity analysis of the initial imperfections influence on the load-bearing capacity has been evaluated. In this way, it was found out which initial imperfections exhibited the greatest influence on the load-bearing capacity. The experimental research provides an idea about crack propagation in dependence on the number of loading cycles. According to experimental results for girders subjected to repeated loading in points A, B, C and Dhave been chosen in which fatigue crack initiations occur most frequently. The principal surface stress state of the girder slender web in the close neighbourhood of fillet welds in points A, B, C and D was analysed on computer model for loading value relevant to working load. The variability influence of initial imperfections on the variability of state of stress type studied was calculated by sensitivity analysis.

sensitivity, steel, structures, beam, fatigue, limit state

KALA, Zdeněk; KALA, Jiří

2005

1. 1. 2005

Helsinky university of Technology

0783-6104

38

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