Volex Labs / Calculations / Welded plate girder design to Eurocode 3.

Welded plate girder design to Eurocode 3.

Enter the girder geometry — flange and web plate sizes, span and stiffener spacing — and Volex Anvil designs the plate girder: the moment resistance (flanges-only where the web is slender), the web shear-buckling resistance Vbw,Rd with tension-field action to EC3-1-5 §5.3, and the transverse and bearing stiffeners.

Slender-web plate girders are governed by shear buckling, so the reduction factor χw and the contribution of the web and flanges are reported separately, following EC3-1-5 and SCI P364.

Run this calculation free → See the verification

Free account · 10 calculations/month · no card required · Pro £29/month

What Volex Anvil checks

Flange moment resistance Mf,Rd — EC3-1-5 §7
Web shear buckling Vbw,Rd (tension field) — EC3-1-5 §5.3
Shear buckling factor χw — EC3-1-5 §5.3
Transverse & bearing stiffeners — EC3-1-5 §9
Flange-induced buckling — EC3-1-5 §8

Validated against the published example

Welded plate girder — flange moment and web shear buckling EC3-1-5 §7 (flanges) and §5.3 Eq (5.2) web shear; SCI P364

Quantity	Published	Volex Anvil	Error
Flange moment Mf,Rd	5413.8 kNm	5413.8 kNm	0.00%
Web shear Vbw,Rd	1503 kN	1503 kN	0.00%

This case is one of 359 published checks the platform passes — the full table, with every source and every error, is public at volexlabs.com/verification.

Frequently asked

Does it include tension-field action?

Yes — the web shear-buckling resistance Vbw,Rd is computed with the rigid- or non-rigid-end-post tension-field contribution to EC3-1-5 §5.3.

Does it design stiffeners?

Yes — transverse intermediate and bearing stiffeners are designed to EC3-1-5 §9, with the stiffener spacing feeding the shear-buckling check.

What is it validated against?

The flange moment and web shear-buckling resistances are checked against EC3-1-5 and SCI P364 — both within 0.00%.

Free tier?

Yes — 10 calculations a month free with clause references; Pro (£29/month) adds unlimited runs and PDF calc sheets.

Related calculations

Steel beam design to Eurocode 3, in your browser Castellated and cellular beam design to Eurocode 3 Connection design to EC3 Part 1-8

Check it in the code, not in a black box.

Every result carries its clause references. Free tier, results in seconds.

Try Volex Anvil free →