Nonlinear Finite Element Modelling and Parametric Study of Prestressed Steel Box Girder

Abstract The prestressing technique is easy to apply and is generally used to strengthen steel bridges and controls their gross deflection. ANSYS has been used to establish a numerical model for the mechanical behavior of a steel box girder and prestressed by external tendons. In this paper, steel plate girders with and without strengthening technique was tested to assess the effectiveness of this technology. The results showed that prestressing improves the mechanical behavior of a girder and that its effect is proportional to magnitude of the applied external load. The results of the numerical model showed good agreement with the experimental data. A full-course simulation was conducted with ANSYS for a parametric study to analyze the influence of prestressing force magnitude, span-height ratio, and tendon configurations in increasing the effectiveness of prestressed technique.