The Influences of Positive and Negative Resal Effects on the Shear Performance of Tapered Girders with Corrugated Steel Webs

Abstract

This study theoretically and numerically examines the differences in shear performance between tapered and prismatic girder configurations with corrugated steel webs (CSWs) and investigates the influence of the Resal effect on the shear performance of tapered girders with CSWs. The vertical components of the inclined bottom slab forces (which are zero in prismatic cases) may decrease or increase the effective shear force on the CSWs, reflecting the positive and negative influences of the Resal effect. Based on these influences, this study introduces the concepts of positive and negative Resal effects and proposes an improved shear method to predict the effective shear forces acting on tapered CSWs. The results of the theoretical and finite element (FE) analyses show that the traditional shear method, which assumes CSWs bear all the shear force, is not applicable to tapered girders. The improved shear method significantly reduced the error in predicting shear forces within the CSWs, decreasing the maximum error from 42.25% (traditional method) to 7.71% (improved method) in specific sections. Quantitative analyses of three different types of girders with CSWs indicate that the Resal effect is influenced by both the internal forces and the structural form of the box girder. In cases of a positive Resal effect, the inclined bottom slab shares a considerable portion of the shear force with CSWs, resulting in a surplus shear capacity in the CSWs; conversely, under a negative Resal effect, there is an increase in the effective shear force on the web, which could lead to an overestimation of the shear buckling strength of CSWs. These findings highlight the necessity of incorporating Resal effects for accurate shear force predictions in tapered girders. By accurately predicting shear forces, engineers can enhance the performance and reliability of these structures, avoiding both overestimation and underestimation of shear capacities.