ABSTRACT
The collapse behavior and the ultimate longitudinal bending strength of damaged box girders in upright and inclined conditions are investigated both experimentally and numerically. The inclined condition after grounding or collision is assumed. The bending collapse test of an inclined box girder is the first of its kind to the authors’ knowledge. The box girders with an elongated hole in the upright and inclined conditions are manufactured and used for the collapse tests. Four-point bending loads are applied to the box girders by using the testing machine with a maximum load capacity of 5,000 kN. The finite element method (FEM) analyses are carried out in the same condition as the experiment. The collapse behavior and the ultimate strength are clarified from the experiment and analysis results. Then, the 1-span and 3-span models of the damaged box girders are used in the FEM analyses to clarify the effect of the modeling region on the ultimate strength analysis. Finally, applicability of the Smith’s method for estimating the ultimate strength of the damage box girder is discussed.
