behavior of flat and curved plates, a parametric study is conducted. The simulations were
performed by ABAQUS software. Theoretical relations were used to verify the validity of the
out-coming numerical results. Comparing the results obtained from the FEM analysis with
those from AASHTO, it is observed that the AASHTO shear strength of plates with aspect
ratios less than 1.71 is non-conservatively more than the FEM results. For instance, in a flat …