Acupressure therapy: Point percussion treatment of cerebral birth injury, brain injury and stroke: by Wang Zhao-Pu Melbourne: Churchill Livingstone, 1991. x+195 pp. £19.95 ISBN: 0 443 04463 5

Abstract

In this paper an analysis is made for the old Zhao-Zhou Stone Arch Bridge on its carrying capacity based on structural limit analysis. For a stone arch bridge, with a given arch centre line and a given loading condition, there exists a minimum thickness limit for the arch ring. If the actual thickness of the arch ring is less than or equal to that limit, the stone arch will collapse as a result of the development of more than three hinges. The ratio of the actual thickness and the minimum limit characterizes the safety of the arch bridge under that loading condition. A calculation is made in this paper of the minimum thickness limit of the Zhao-Zhou Arch Bridge and its safety factors under a live concentrated load of 10 tons. That ancient bridge with 1400 years of history is shown to be very similar to a modern arch bridge in its appearance and is proved by the calculation to be in good accordance with the modern bridge building science.