A Parametric Study of Elastic Web Buckling in Steel Plate Girders with Transverse Stiffeners

Authors

  • Emina Hajdo University of Sarajevo-Faculty of Civil Engineering, Patriotske lige 30, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Emina Hadzalic University of Rijeka, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Radmile Matejčić 3, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
  • Adnan Ibrahimbegovic University of Technology of Compiègne, Laboratoire Roberval, rue du docteur Schweitzer, 60203 Compiègne, France, Institut Universitaire de France, 1 rue Descartes, 75231 Paris, France

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13052/ejcm2642-2085.34344

Keywords:

steel plate girder, transverse stiffener, web buckling, shell finite element, geometric nonlinearities, eelastic critical buckling load

Abstract

This study presents a numerical investigation into the elastic buckling behaviour of steel plate girders with transverse stiffeners, focusing on the web buckling mode. The influence of key parameters, including web thickness, stiffener thickness and spacing, and flange-stiffener connectivity, is examined to understand their effect on the critical buckling load associated with this mode. Elastic buckling analyses are carried out for various combinations of these parameters using a finite element model based on a nonlinear shell element formulation, which incorporates von Kármán-type nonlinear strain-displacement relations to effectively capture geometric nonlinearities and local instability phenomena. The results are systematically presented and discussed to highlight the sensitivity of buckling performance to each parameter. Detailed insights are provided into the underlying structural behaviour, revealing trends and interactions that govern the elastic web stability of steel plate girders with transverse stiffeners across different design configurations.

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Author Biographies

Emina Hajdo, University of Sarajevo-Faculty of Civil Engineering, Patriotske lige 30, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Emina Hajdo is an Associate Professor at the University of Sarajevo Faculty of Civil Engineering. She completed her PhD at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Sarajevo, and conducted part of her research as a French Government Scholar at École normale supérieure de Cachan (now Paris-Saclay). Her scientific and professional work focuses on the fields of steel structures, structural instability, and computational mechanics.

Emina Hadzalic, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Radmile Matejčić 3, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia

Emina Hadzalic is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Rijeka. She completed her PhD through a joint doctoral program between the University of Technology of Compiègne, France and the University of Sarajevo Faculty of Civil Engineering, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her research interests include engineering mechanics and computational mechanics.

Adnan Ibrahimbegovic, University of Technology of Compiègne, Laboratoire Roberval, rue du docteur Schweitzer, 60203 Compiègne, France, Institut Universitaire de France, 1 rue Descartes, 75231 Paris, France

Adnan Ibrahimbegovic is a Professor of Classe Exceptionnelle and Chair of Computational Mechanics at the University of Technology of Compiègne, France. He is a member of the Academy of Europe and the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He completed his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, and later obtained his habilitation from Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France. His research focuses on computational mechanics and multi-physics.

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Published

2026-02-26

How to Cite

Hajdo, E. ., Hadzalic, E. ., & Ibrahimbegovic, A. . (2026). A Parametric Study of Elastic Web Buckling in Steel Plate Girders with Transverse Stiffeners. European Journal of Computational Mechanics, 34(3&4), 275–298. https://doi.org/10.13052/ejcm2642-2085.34344

Issue

2025: Vol 34 Iss 3&4

Section

ECCOMAS-MSF 2025: Multi-scale modeling & computations in solid & fluid mechanics