In-situ testing and modeling of a masonry bridge in Surrey (UK): Waverley Mill bridge

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Many historic masonry arch bridges on road and railway systems across Europe and the United Kingdom remain operational despite exhibiting structural loss of performance. In the United Kingdom alone, there are more than 70,000 masonry arch spans, with many having undergone design modifications and load adjustments over the years. These modifications typically entail incorporating new materials and bearing elements, with compliance to modern standards being unsuitable and rare. Such circumstances lead to limited understanding of these structures, impacting the accuracy of the bridge capacity assessments. This study is dedicated to the examination of a composite bridge composed of two spans with limited accessibility, located in Waverley Abbey, Surrey. The research (reviews/investigates) two primary aspects: firstly, the diagnostic phase involving in-situ non- destructive methods such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and more intrusive techniques like coring. The second phase entails a numerical assessment using a limit analysis numerical model which considers several modelling assumptions including flooded conditions, ring separation and accounting for defects. In the future, discontinuity layout optimization (DLO) and structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques can be used to extend the scope of the traditional rigid block limit analysis method and useful for calibrating numerical models and performing direct checks of performance goal compliance. As the Waverley bridge serves as a representative example of the numerous structures predominantly found in the Surrey region, this investigation can be extended to include bridges sharing similar material, geometry and shapes.