This paper highlights the challenges before researchers who are working to understand the postbuckling mechanics of a stiffened web panel, design of transverse stiffener, mechanics of end panel, and the overall behavior of a plate girder subjected to shear, in general. It describes how the tension-field theories evolved to provide a solution to predict the postbuckling shear resistance and what the impact was of these theories on the design of different girder components. In addition, the paper describes how and why these theories failed to explain the rational mechanics involved in the postbuckling shear resistance. It also presents the alternative explanations provided by researchers who do not agree with the significance of tension-field action. From the analysis of these theories, their alternatives, and the latest research about other contributing factors to shear postbuckling mechanics, many future areas of research emerged. Many such important future areas of research are highlighted in this paper. This paper also underlines the need for an improvement in code provisions related to finite-element analyses.
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Hingnekar et al. (2020) studied this question.
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