Budapest University of Technology and EconomicsFaculty of Civil Engineering - Since 1782

Steel-concrete corrugated web composite girders (with one concrete flange) and hybrid girders (with two pre-stressed concrete flanges) represent a new innovative structural system which are widely used as main load-bearing elements in structural systems of bridges and other applications. The application field of corrugated web girders is increased nowadays in the field of bridges due to their numerous advantages. The special structural behavior of the corrugated web has a significant influence on the global behavior of the bridge girder, which should be considered in the design. There is a large number of previous investigations available in the international literature dealing with steel corrugated web girders. However, due to the complex structural behavior there is no reliable design method available for the bending moment and shear buckling resistances and for their interaction, if the flange (or flanges) are made of concrete. The scope of the proposed PhD research is the investigation and design method development to shear buckling and bending moment resistances and their interaction for composite and hybrid girders with corrugated web. Shear buckling resistance and resistance against interaction of corrugated web girders can be significantly influenced by the contribution of the concrete flanges and pre-stressing force which should be studied in the current research program. Nowadays innovative shear connectors are also developed especially for corrugated web girders. Their influence on the bending and shear buckling resistances is also part of the research to be completed. The final aim of the research program is the development of a complex design methodology, which can be applied in the design of these innovative bridge girders in order to improve their economical application.

The background of the research program is an available experimental program what is completed on full-scale test specimens in the Structural Laboratory of the Department of Structural Engineering in the frame of an R&D project in 2018. The PhD applicant should evaluate the test results in the first phase of the research. On this basis advanced models should be developed and validated which can follow the complex structural phenomena. Using the refined models the observed experimental behavior should be further studied on an extended parameter domain. The research program should be finalized by the development of practically applicable design method for the calculation of buckling resistances.