Structural performance evaluation of bolted end-plate connections in a half-through railway inclined girder

A through-railway bridge with an inclined girder has recently been applied to optimize the cross-section of a slender bridge structure in railway bridges. To achieve the additional cross-section optimization effect by the bolted end-plate connection, it is necessary to investigate the application of the bolted end-plate tension connection between the inclined girder and the crossbeam. This basic study was conducted on the application of the bolted end-plate moment connection of crossbeams to half-through girders with inclined webs. The combined behavior of vertical deflection and rotational behavior was observed due to the effect of the web inclination in the inclined girder where the steel crossbeam was connected to the girder by the bolted end-plate moment connection. Therefore, in the experiment, the deflection of the inclined girder was 1.77–2.93 times greater than that of the vertical girder but the lateral deflection of the inclined girder was 0.4 times less than that of the vertical girder. Moreover, the tensile stress of the upper bolts in the inclined girder with low crossbeams was clearly 0.81 times lower than that of the vertical girder. According to the results, the design formula for vertical girders does not reflect the influence of the web inclination. Therefore, this study proposed the design procedures for the inclined girder to apply the bolted end-plate moment connection of the crossbeam to the inclined girder by reflecting the design change factors according to the effect of the web inclination.