Consideración de las imperfecciones en el análisis de placas de acero, de secciones armadas de puentes de acero y mixtos, mediante el método de los elementos finitos

Abstract

The use of plated structures in steel and steel and concrete composite bridges provides competitive solutions thanks to the use of steel of higher yield strength. However, in case of slender sections, is required an additional effort in the design stage to minimize the number of stiffeners to avoid the increase of fabrication costs. The Eurocode 3 �Design of steel structures� provides design methodologies for slender plates submitted to compression and the design of the stiffeners, if needed. In addition, the use softwares based on the Finite Elements Methods of analysis, FEM, is becoming an alternative procedure to analytical methods for the design of structures or parts of them for which is necessary a more realistic approach. This Doctor Thesis provides recommendations to consider the initial imperfections, geometric imperfections and residual stresses, to obtain realistic results in the assessment of bridges� plated sections with FEM.