Detailed numerical stimulation of experiments on masonry arch bridge using 3D FE

Abstract

The constructions of masonry arch bridge had been found 4000 years ago and until now they are still adopted in many areas. So it is of great importance to understand the structural behavior of different components in order to preserve them in good service conditions. The bibliographic research is made first to be aware of the state of art on masonry arch bridge, which include basic behavior of masonry arch bridge, development of analysis method, collapse mechanism and experiment campaign of previous times. In this dissertation, the experimental study which was carried out by Pere Roca (2001) about masonry arch bridge was briefly summarized. Then, the limit analysis of collapse mechanisms and ultimate capacity was used for a first behavior assessment. After that, plane stress numerical models were prepared using finite elements and it was based on the experimental results. Comparison of the results obtained from different finite element models were made, they are: (1) one soil infill layer with steel bracing system; (2) one soil infill layer without bracing system; (3) three soil infill layers with steel bracing system; (4) three soil infill layers and steel bracing system with masonry tensile strength 0.02, 0.05 and 0.08 N/mm2 respectively. As final step, three dimensional finite element analysis with interface element was carried out aiming to consider the effect of spandrel walls and the realistic experimental environment.