Affiliations: School of Architecture, Landscape and Civil Engineering, UCD Dublin, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland | Department of Architectural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA | Department of Structural and Transportation Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
Abstract: Service and high level load tests on a typical single span stone arch bridge in the south of Ireland and an associated set of three-dimensional nonlinear numerical analyses are discussed in this paper. The three-dimensional finite element models, which were generated using a commercially available finite element package, include the arch fill and a frictionless contact interface between this fill and the spandrel walls modelled with a nonlinear smeared crack material model. While this modelling strategy has been previously corroborated for service load levels, the results of the numerical model (which are compared with results from the experimental tests) also demonstrate the suitability of this modelling strategy at higher load levels. Finally, the suitability of three-dimensional solid models in the context of stone arch bridge assessment is discussed.
Keywords: Arch bridges, Stone arch bridges, Bridge assessment, Bridge modelling
