Testing of plate girder web panel loaded in shear at elevated temperature

This paper presents the experimental work on 18 steel-plate girders loaded predominantly in shear. The test girders were grouped into five series, two of which were hot-rolled steel universal column sections, and the other three were fabricated sections. One specimen from each series was tested under ambient temperature condition, and the other three at isothermal conditions at 400, 550, and 700°C. The tests were to investigate the shear buckling behavior, the diagonal web tensile field action, and the development of plastic hinge mechanism in the flange plates of the girder panels. The experimental results were then compared with analytical and numerical finite-element predictions. The reported test results are believed to be the first of their kind in the field of structural fire resistance of steel members. The knowledge gained from both experimental and numerical works will hopefully shed some light on the column and beam web panel shear behavior in a steel beam-to-column connection.