Geometric issues and ultimate load capacity of masonry arch bridges from the northwest Iberian Peninsula
✍ Scribed by Daniel V. Oliveira; Paulo B. Lourenço; Cláudia Lemos
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2010
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 572 KB
- Volume
- 32
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0141-0296
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✦ Synopsis
This paper reports the results from a geometrical survey carried out on 59 segmental masonry arch bridges from Portugal and Spain, with a focus on the adjacent geographical areas of northern Portugal and northwestern Spain. Historical empirical rules are briefly presented and further compared against the bridges' geometrical data. Departing from a detailed discussion of the geometrical results, eight reference bridges were defined as representative of the sample. Subsequently, the paper deals with a parametric assessment of the load-carrying capacity of the reference bridges and a discussion of results. It was found that arch thickness and physical properties of the fill are of paramount importance in terms of ultimate loadcarrying capacity. Furthermore, the results indicate that the bridges from the sample are structurally safe with respect to applicable legislation.