Analysis and Assessment of Masonry Arch Bridges

282 Pages·2015·13.53 MB·English

Analysis and Assessment of Masonry
Arch Bridges
Justin Robinson BEng
Doctor of Philosophy
University of Edinburgh
March 2000
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Abstract
The importance of masonry arch bridges to the transport infrastructure through-
out Europe is unquestionable. However with ever increasing axle loads present on
today's roads, and new European directives increasing the required load carrying
capacity of these structures, the need for an accurate and reliable method of arch
bridge assessment has never been more important. The current methods of arch
bridge assessment have been shown to be conservative, resulting in unnecessary
and costly repair work or replacement of structures. The research described in
this thesis is an element of an on-going study into soil-structure interaction, a
very important factor for the accurate assessment of arch bridges.
This investigation, furthering study into the effects of soil-structure interaction,
is undertaken with a variety of methods and techniques which are described
in this thesis. These include model bridge testing, investigating different load
types and fill heights, monitoring of full scale structures and subsequent analysis
investigating thermal effects, comparison of the present arch bridge assessment
methods linked with an actual arch bridge assessment programme and the dev-
elopment of new numerical modelling methods of arch assessment. Thus an
investigation using discrete element analysis methods has been conducted, with
comparison with finite element methods and physical models.
A new technique for arch bridge assessment has been introduced, based on
the discrete element analysis performed in this thesis. This method allows the
inclusion into an analysis of soil-structure interaction effects and the possibility
to include many other 3D effects.
1
Declaration
This thesis is submitted to the University of Edinburgh for the degree of Doctor
of Philosophy. The work submitted in this thesis has been composed by myself,
under the supervision of Dr David A. Ponniah, unless otherwise referenced within
the text.
The following papers published in journals or conference proceedings were derived
from the work in this thesis. A set of these papers is bound, where possible, with
the thesis and may be found in Appendix D. The numbering sequence does not
follow that of the thesis but follows the page numbering of the original journal
or proceedings as appropriate.
Robinson, J.I., Ponniah, D.A. and Prentice, D.J. Soil pressure measurements
on a multi-span brick arch. Proceedings of the Seventh International
Conference on Structural Faults and Repair, Edinburgh, 1997.
Robinson, J.I., Prentice, D.J. and Ponniah, D.A. Temperature effects in
a new brickwork arch bridge. Proceedings of the Seventh International
Conference on Structural Faults and Repair, Edinburgh, 1997.
Robinson, J.I., Prentice, D.J. and Ponniah, D.A. Thermal effects on a
masonry arch bridge investigated using ABAQUS. Proceedings of the Second
International Arch Bridge Conference, Venice, 1998. -
Robinson, J.I., Thavalingam, A., Ponniah, D.A., Bicanic, N. Computational
framework for discontinuous modelling of masonry arch bridges. Submitted
to Computers and Structures.
Robinson, J.I., Thavalingam, A., Ponniah, D.A., Bicanic, N. Comparative
prediction of the collapse load for masonry arches including backfill inter-
action. Corrected and resubmitted to Masonry International. March 2000.
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Robinson, J.I., O'Flaherty, M, Stewart, P. and Ponniah, D.A. Comparative
assessment of masonry arch assessment methods. Under preparation.
Prentice, D.J., Robinson, J.I. and Ponniah, D.A. Stress distribution in an
instrumented double span brick arch bridge. Under preparation.
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Acknowledgements
The author would firstly like to acknowledge the assistance and guidance given
during the course of this thesis of his supervisor, Dr. David A. Ponniah.
The funding for the research was provided by the EPSRC and the University of
Edinburgh, through payment for the supervision and teaching of undergraduate
students. Without this financial support the project would not have been
completed.
Significant assistance has been obtained from Prof. Nenad Biéanié from the
University of Glasgow and Dr. Appapillai Thavalingam, in the field of discrete
element analysis.
The author is also indebted to Murray Innes, Stuart Wallace, Paul Huyton,
George Karidis, Micheal O'Flaherty and Paul Stewart who, in the course of
studying for their respective final year Honours thesis, helped with experiment-
ation, analysis of results, comparative studies and arch bridge assessments which
form parts of this thesis. Many thanks are also due to Richard Boyd and James
Jarvis for solving the many "easy" problems involved in the presentation of this
thesis.
Lastly and most importantly I would like to thank my parents for the many
types of support they have so kindly offered throughout this extended period of
research.
IV
Contents
1 Introduction (cid:9) i
1.1 General introduction to masonry arch bridges ...........2
1.1.1 (cid:9) The masonry arch bridge ...................2
1.1.2 (cid:9) History of construction ....................3
1.2 Present bridge assessment methods .................6
1.3 (cid:9) Outline of thesis ............................9
2 (cid:9) Literature review 12
2.1 Introduction (cid:9) ............................... 13
2.2 Theoretical Work (cid:9) ............................. 14
2.2.1 (cid:9) Empirical methods (cid:9) ...................... 14
2.2.2 (cid:9) Elastic methods (cid:9) ........................ 15
2.2.3 (cid:9) Plastic methods (cid:9) ........................ 21
2.3 Computational Work (cid:9) .......................... 31
2.3.1 (cid:9) Finite element (FE) methods (cid:9) ................ 31
2.3.2 (cid:9) Further work (cid:9) ......................... 33
2.3.3 (cid:9) Discrete element analysis .................... 37
2.4 Experimental Work (cid:9) .......................... 41
2.4.1 (cid:9) Field (cid:9) tests (cid:9) ........................... 41
2.4.2 (cid:9) Model-testing (cid:9) ........................ 43
2.5 Soil structure interaction (cid:9) ....................... 47
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(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:9)
2.5.1 (cid:9) Soil-structure interface ....................48
2.5.2 (cid:9) Structures supporting soil ..................49
2.6 (cid:9) Concluding remarks ..........................52
3 Comparisons of modern computational assessment methods (cid:9) 54
3.1 Introduction (cid:9) .............................. 55
3.2 Assessment packages considered (cid:9) ................... 56
3.2.1 (cid:9) The modified MEXE assessment method .......... 56
3.2.2 (cid:9) The ARCHIE assessment method (cid:9) .............. 59
3.2.3 (cid:9) The CTAP assessment method (cid:9) ............... 61
3.2.4 (cid:9) The MAFEA assessment method (cid:9) .............. 63
3.3 Parametric study (cid:9) ........................... 66
3.3.1 (cid:9) Overview (cid:9) ........................... 66
3.3.2 (cid:9) MEXE (cid:9) ................................. 67
3.3.3 (cid:9) ARCHIE (cid:9) ................... 70
3.3.4 (cid:9) CTAP (cid:9) ............................... 75
3.3.5 (cid:9) MAFEA(cid:9) .............................. 77
3.3.6 (cid:9) Discussion of parametric study (cid:9) ............... 79
3.4 Masonry arch assessment (cid:9) ....................... 87.
3.4. 1. (cid:9) Introduction (cid:9) .......................... 87
3.4.2 (cid:9) Data collection (cid:9) ........................ 87
3.4.3 (cid:9) Discussion of results (cid:9) ..................... 89
3.5 Conclusions (cid:9) .............................. 95
4 Double span brick arch tests (cid:9) 101
4.1 (cid:9) Introduction ................................102
4.2 (cid:9) Experimental set-up (cid:9) .........................102
4.2.1 (cid:9) Bridge construction ......................102
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4.2.2 (cid:9) Material properties (cid:9) ...................... 104
4.2.3 (cid:9) Instrumentation (cid:9) ........................ 104
4.2.4 (cid:9) Method of loading (cid:9) ...................... 106
4.3 Experimental programme ....................... 107
4.3.1 (cid:9) Tests performed (cid:9) ........................ 110
4.4 Experimental Results (cid:9) ......................... 111
4.4.1 (cid:9) Overview of results presented (cid:9) ................ 111
4.4.2 (cid:9) Influence Lines (cid:9) ........................ 112
4.4.3 (cid:9) Theoretical distribution of contact stress (cid:9) .......... 112
4.5 Discussion of line load tests results (cid:9) ................. 115
4.5.1 (cid:9) Increased load level (cid:9) ...................... 115
4.5.2 (cid:9) Increased fill height (cid:9) ...................... 119
4.6 Discussion of patch load tests results (cid:9) ................ 126
4.6.1 (cid:9) Normal stress (cid:9) ............................ 128
4.6.2 (cid:9) Shear stress (cid:9) ........................... 130
4.6.3 (cid:9) Fill Pressure results ...................... 132
4.6.4 (cid:9) Deflection results (cid:9) ....................... 133
4.7 Conclusions (cid:9) .............................. 135
5 (cid:9) Thermal analysis of Kimbolton Butts bridge 148
5.1 (cid:9) Introduction (cid:9) .............................. 149
5.2 (cid:9) Arch Construction & Instrumentation ................ 149
5.2.1 (cid:9) Temperature variations .................... 152
5.2.2 (cid:9) Normal stress on extrados (cid:9) .................. 152
5.2.3 (cid:9) Vertical pressure in fill material (cid:9) ............... 153
5.2.4 (cid:9) Strain on extrados (cid:9) ...................... 153
5.3 (cid:9) Thermal modelling and analysis (cid:9) ................... 156
5.3.1 (cid:9) Choice of assessment package (cid:9) ................ 156
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5.3.2 (cid:9) Finite element model 158
5.4 (cid:9) Output from FE model ........................ 160
5.4.1 (cid:9) Output Variables (cid:9) ....................... 160
5.4.2 (cid:9) Deflection (cid:9) ............................ 161
5.4.3 (cid:9) Stress & strain output (cid:9) .................... 162
5.4.4 (cid:9) ABAQUS post output (cid:9) .................... 165
5.5 (cid:9) Live load monitoring (cid:9) ......................... 165
5.6 (cid:9) Conclusions (cid:9) .............................. 169
6 (cid:9) Discontinuous modelling of masonry arches 170
6.1 Introduction (cid:9) ............................... 171
6.2 Discontinuous deformation analysis, DDA (cid:9) ............. 172
6.2.1 (cid:9) Introduction (cid:9) .......................... 172
6.2.2 (cid:9) Implementation (cid:9) ......................... 176
6.2.3 (cid:9) Model improvements (cid:9) ....................... 179
6.3 Particle flow code, PFC (cid:9) ........................ 183
6.3.1 (cid:9) Introduction (cid:9) ........................... 183
6.3.2 (cid:9) Implementation (cid:9) ........................ 185
6.3.3 (cid:9) Parametric study (cid:9) ....................... 191
6.4 Finite element model, DIANA (cid:9) .................... 196
6.4.1 (cid:9) Modelling the arch (cid:9) ...................... 197
6.5 Comparisons of packages (cid:9) ........................ 197
6.5.1 (cid:9) Parametric study (cid:9) ......................... 197
6.5.2 (cid:9) Failure load and mechanism (cid:9) ................. 198
6.6 Conclusions (cid:9) . ............................... 201
7 (cid:9) Conclusions
206
7.1 Introduction (cid:9) ............................... 207
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7.2 General conclusions (cid:9) . 207
7.3 (cid:9) Specific conclusions ..........................208
8 Recommendations for further work (cid:9) 210
8.1 (cid:9) Introduction ..............................211
8.2 Assessment packages (cid:9) ......................... 211
8.3 Kimbolton Butts bridge (cid:9) ....................... 211
8.4 2m double span arch tests (cid:9) ...................... 212
8.5 (cid:9) Discretised model analysis ......................213
8.6 (cid:9) Summary (cid:9) ...............................214
References (cid:9) 215
Appendix A (cid:9) 229
Appendix B (cid:9)
230
Appendix C(cid:9)
242
Appendix D(cid:9)
246
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