Deflection behaviour of plate girders loaded in shear at elevated temperatures

This paper presents a theoretical investigation about out-of-plane and in-plane deflection behaviour of plate girders loaded in shear at elevated temperatures at the pre- and post-buckling stages. Theoretical elastic analysis of plate out-of-plane deflection employs an approximate approach using a combination of classical plate theory and Galerkin's method. Effects from initial out-of-plane imperfections have been addressed, with the considerations of various varying degrees of thermal restraint. These elastic analytical solutions are compared with experimental results and numerical predictions. In addition to an out-of-plane deflection investigation, a combination of shear strength theory for plate girders and energy method is adopted to describe the in-plane vertical deflection of plate girders. The advantages and implementations of these methods are also discussed. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.