14.4 Bearing Stiffeners ‘The inclusion of a portion of the web in the column section resisting the direct load, and the assumption of an effective length of 0.75 times the stiffener length, are approxi- a ne. to the behaviour of the web under edge loading that have proved satisfactory in many years of use. 14.5 Intermediate Transverse Stiffeners 145.1 Figure 2-33 illustrates the action of a thin girder web under load. Tension fields ar developed in the interior panels but cannot develop in the unanchored end panels, forwhich the maximum shear stress is, therefore, either the elastic or inelastic critical plate buckling stress in shear. 14.5.2. The limits on stiffener spacing are based on. practical considerations. When ajh > 3, the tension field contribution js reduced, When h/w > 150 the maximum stiff ener spacing is reduced for ease in fabrication and handling. 14.5.3. Clause 14.5.3 requires that intermediate transverse stiffeners have both a mini- mum moment of inertia and a minimum area. The former provides the required stiff- ness when web panels are behaving in an elastic manner; the latter ensures that the dtiffener can sustain the compression, to which it is subjected, when the web panel de- velopsa tension field. Because stiffeners subject to compression act as columns, stiffen ers placed only on one side of the web are loaded eccentrically and are less efficient, The stiffener factor (D) in the formula for stiffener area accounts ‘for the lowered efficiency of stiffeners furnished singly, rather than in pairs. 14.5.4 The minimum shear to be transferred between the: stiffener and the webis based on Basler (1961c). 14.5.5 The requirement of attaching single intermediate stiffeners to the compression flange is to prevent tipping of the flange under loading. 14.6 Combined Shear and Moment ‘This requirement recognizes the limit state of the web yielding by the combined ac- tion of flexural stress and the post buckling components of the tension field development in the web near the flange (Basler, 1961b). Figure 2-34 illustrates the interaction expression provided in Clause 14.6. When Clause 14.3.4 applies, M, replaces M, in the interaction expression. 14.7 Rotational Restraint at Points of Support Asevere stability problem may exist when a heam or girder is continuous over the top of a column, ‘The compression flange of the beam tends to buckle sideways and si- multaneously, the beam-column junction tends to buckle sideways because of the com pression in the column. ‘Three mechanisms exist for providing lateral restraint: direct icting bracing, such as provided by bottom chord extensions of joists, beam web stiffen- ers welded to the bottom flange, or the distortional stiffness of the web. In the latter two tases, the connection of the beam flange to the column cap plate must have strength and stiffness (Chien, 1989). The restraint offered by the distortion of the web requires very careful assessment. See also the commentaries on Clause 13.6 and Clause 9.2. 14,8 Copes Flanges are coped to permit beams to be conneeted to girder webs with simple connections while maintaining the tops of the flanges at the same clevation. Long copes may seriously affect the lateral-torsional buckling resistance of a beam (Cheng and CISC Commentary on CAN/CSA-S16-01 (S16S1-05) 261