Improved Method for the Design of Intermediate Transverse Stiffeners in Steel Plate Girders

Abstract

Steel plate girders benefit from transverse stiffeners, which reduce the web length along the span and enhance shear resistance. They also mitigate web buckling by providing lateral support to the web and anchoring the axial compression induced by the tension field action. According to EN 1993‐1‐5:2024, the design of transverse stiffeners requires: (1) a strength verification, (2) a minimum elastic bending rigidity, and (3) a torsional rigidity check. However, previous studies have shown that the strength verification is overly conservative. Consequently, this requirement has been removed in design standards such as AASHTO and AISC, where stiffener design is governed only by a minimum ultimate bending rigidity verification.