Dynamical features and FE modelling of a multi-span historical masonry arch bridge

Abstract

The Italian road infrastructural asset includes a large number of historical masonry arch bridges. Many of these structures are today still in service, despite their ancientness and the frequent lack of maintenance and upgrading interventions. Given the strategic role they often play in the road network, their protection and conservation are an urgent priority to avoid connection issues, as well as losses of human lives. The structural assessment of these structures may be far from trivial since original design documents are generally missing. Thus, they must be subjected to articulate knowledge processes, which include geometrical surveys (both externally and internally), tests on material and, if possible, characterization of the overall dynamic behavior. Based on this premise, in the present paper the case study of a five-span masonry arch bridge in Mignano Monte Lungo (Caserta province, Italy) is addressed. A preliminary historical reconnaissance was performed together with a survey of the external geometry of the bridge. The collected data were enriched by means of a dynamical characterization of the entire structure, which allowed for realizing a preliminary finite element model in Abaqus software.