Local Buckling Influence on the Moment Redistribution Coefficient for Composite Continuous Beams of Bridges

Abstract

The present paper is concerned with the elastic design optimisation of continuous composite beams. This optimisation is based on the analysis of the beam in the inelastic range including the concrete creep and shrinkage, the tension stiffening and temperature difference effects as well as the possible local buckling instability. The finite element program PONTMIXTE (adapted to study continuous beams at real scale with short time computation) is first presented with its different sections: Pre-design (in accordance with Eurocode specifications), Non linear finite element calculation and Post-processing. In order to validate the proposed model, the numerical calculations are compared against experimental results from tests on a two-span beam in reduced scale (7.5 m length for each span) without taking into account the local buckling phenomenon avoided in the experimental test by using web-stiffeners. Next, special attention is paid to study the influence of the local buckling instability on the internal moment redistribution coefficient between hogging and sagging zones. The application concerns different 3-span beams of bridge at real scale with medium span lengths (40–60–40 m). The post-buckling behaviour represented by moment-rotation curves (M-θ) is deduced from a 3D finite element model of the cross-section developed using Castem finite element code. The M-θ curves describing the local buckling phenomenon are approximated using hyperbolic functions and implemented in PONTMIXTE using a specific rotational spring finite element. The influence of this instability on the moment redistribution coefficients calls the Standart predictions into question.

Keywords

• eurocode
• bridges
• finite element model (fem)
• composite beams
• local buckling
• moment redistribution