Design Requirements for Plate Girders with Bolted Transverse Stiffeners

The web of plate girders in bridges are usually reinforced by welded transverse stiffeners in order to improve their shear capacity.Due to problems associated with field welding and fatigue, welded stiffeners are not suitable for retrofitting existing bridges. Bolted stiffeners are a practical alternative for strengthening girders that are expected to experience shear stress in excess of their design shear capacity. This paper presents the results of an analytical study into behavior of plate girders with bolted transverse stiffeners. Based on this study new requirements are developed for designing of such girders.