Shear strengthening of corroded Plate Girders

Corrosion is a major challenge for the performance and health of structures. Structures in offshore, industrial, and urban settings corrode due to humidity, pollutants and various chemical agents, leading to performance reduction. plate girders have been increasingly used, and the web corrosion of such girders reduces their shear strength. This study evaluated the shear strengthening of corroded plate girders using different stiffener patterns. Corroded and non-corroded plate girders were nonlinearly analysed in ABAQUS. corrosion was modeled through thickness reduction in the numerical models. Uniform, pitting, and groove corrosion patterns as large as 25-75% of the web thickness were considered. Stiffeners were employed to strengthen the corroded plate girders. The effects of different stiffener parameters, including shape, size, and spacing, were investigated. It was found that a 50% web thickness reduction due to corrosion could decrease the shear strength of the plate girder by 47%. Pitting corrosion in the top and bottom of the web led to a 36% shear strength decline, and the top corrosion was more critical than the bottom corrosion. Flange-web disjoining due to groove corrosion diminished shear strength by 55%. Vertical stiffeners enhanced the strength of the plate girder by 54%. The results showed that T- and L-shaped stiffeners outperformed rectangular stiffeners under the same conditions.