Historical Masonry Arch Bridges Research Articles

Full life-cycle vibration-based monitoring of a full-scale masonry arch bridge with increasing levels of damage

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is of great significance to maintain the safe operation of infrastructure, particularly for historic structures such as masonry arch bridges, as their material properties are deteriorating under effects such as climate change, but the demands of modern transport systems increase significantly. Vibration-based SHM has become a prevalent method for assessing the vulnerability of masonry arch bridges. However, one of the most critical limitations lies in the inability of correlate bridge’s damage accumulation with the variation trends in its modal parameters. To address this issue, in the present study, full life-cycle vibration-based monitoring was conducted on a full-scale masonry arch bridge, progressing from an undamaged state to failure under laboratory conditions. Accumulated damage was induced by applying point loads with increasing magnitudes until the bridge failed. Vibration data, collected after each loading test, were analysed utilizing the stochastic subspace identification (SSI) method, and frequency and damping ratio for the first five modes were identified. The results demonstrated that the first-order frequency had the most pronounced correlation with the stiffness degradation and the damage accumulation in the masonry arch bridge. The evolution of early-stage damage, the formation of the first hinge, and the activation of a four-hinge mechanism were successfully captured through the frequency degradation. The findings of the study may provide valuable insights into the damage assessment of historic masonry arch bridge infrastructures.

A study of stone arch bridge’s flood reliability through a surrogate model approach

Europe’s historic masonry arch bridges are culturally and economically significant, but their long-term safety must be ensured. Scour effects are the most common cause of collapse, so it is necessary to carry out structural assessments to mitigate the risk and prevent potential failures. In this study, a metamodel-based method was used to determine the probability of failure of an existing stone arch bridge in Portugal due to local and contraction scour on the abutments. Non-linear finite element analysis supported the calculation of the reliability index, which took into account the soil-structure interaction and the failure mechanism. The variables with the greatest influence on the load-carrying capacity of the structure were identified and a surrogate model was implemented. Fragility curves were then derived based on the surrogate model, using scour depth as a measure of intensity and load factor as an engineering requirement parameter. The results of the study indicate that the load capacity of the numerical model is compromised when the scour depth of 1.5 m reaches the base of the foundation. As a result, stability problems and settlements are observed in the model. At a depth of 2.5 m, the soil reaches its ultimate bearing capacity.

Structural Modal Calibration of Historical Masonry Arch Bridge by Using a Novel Deep Neural Network Approach

Structural Modal Calibration of Historical Masonry Arch Bridge by Using a Novel Deep Neural Network Approach

Structural Investigation of a Historical Masonry Arch Bridge under Far-Fault Earthquakes

Structural Investigation of a Historical Masonry Arch Bridge under Far-Fault Earthquakes

Seismic behaviour assessment and rehabilitation of a masonry three‐arched bridge

AbstractMany existing historical masonry arch bridges used in the road and railway networks are still in service. However, most of them show a structural performance deficit due to several factors. This study deals with the seismic behavior assessment of an existing masonry three‐arched railway bridge through a nonlinear, non‐adaptive static analysis carried out by a three‐dimensional Finite Element model. Input data were collected from a variety of sources. The structural analysis showed a risk index that was not in compliance with the limit values suggested by current European Standards. In order to improve the structural reliability of the masonry arch railway bridge, a traditional structural rehabilitation was proposed and designed. The bottom faces of the arches and the piles of the masonry bridge were strengthened by reinforced concrete thin slabs and reinforced concrete jackets, respectively, all adequately connected to the existing structure by using steel bar connectors. Finally, a nonlinear analysis of the strengthened structure showed that the new risk index satisfied the seismic vulnerability verification. The proposed structural rehabilitation using traditional techniques appears to be a viable but not unique solution to improving structural reliability.

Flood-induced forces and collapse mechanism of historical multi-span masonry arch bridges: The Putang bridge case

In order to obtain an adequate understanding of the vulnerability of historical multi-span masonry bridges during flood hazards for the better conservation, a typical multi-span stone arch bridge, Putang Bridge, is chosen to carry out the study on the collapse mechanism of the bridge under flood-induced forces based on numerical simulations. This study has a twofold objective: to simulate numerically the forces exerted by floods on the bridge, and to figure out the collapse mechanism under the obtained flood loads. The hydrodynamic pressure distribution and drag and lift forces on the bridge are predicted with CFD simulation considering eight different flooding levels. The simulation method is validated in advance with existing experiments. A bridge with higher cutwaters is modeled to assess the effects of the height of cutwaters on mitigating the flood loads. A finite element model of the bridge is developed and the obtained flood loads are applied to investigate the vulnerability of arch bridges in floods. The findings of this research could contribute to a clear comprehension of the flood-induced forces on arch bridges and the structural vulnerability, and also could provide some insights on preparing the early warning strategy and preventive measures for historical masonry arch bridges.

Performance-based seismic assessment of a historical masonry arch bridge: Effect of pulse-like excitations

Seismic analysis of historical masonry bridges is important for authorities in all countries hosting such cultural heritage assets. The masonry arch bridge investigated in this study was built during the Roman period and is on the island of Rhodes, in Greece. Fifteen seismic records were considered and categorized as far-field, pulse-like near-field, and non-pulse-like near-field. The earthquake excitations were scaled to a target spectrum, and nonlinear time-history analyses were performed in the transverse direction. The performance levels were introduced based on the pushover curve, and the post-earthquake damage state of the bridge was examined. According to the results, pulse-like near-field events are more damaging than non-pulse-like near-field ground motions. Additionally the bridge is more vulnerable to far-field excitations than near-field events. Furthermore, the structure will suffer extensive post-earthquake damage and must be retrofitted.

Rating and reliability assessment of a historical masonry arch bridge

Rating and reliability assessment of a historical masonry arch bridge

Reliability-based structural assessment of historical masonry arch bridges: The case study of Cernadela bridge

Nowadays, several historical masonry arch bridges present a deficient state of conservation due to degradation processes induced by natural or human actions. Usually, these constructions have significant economic, cultural, and heritage value. Therefore, they shall be thoroughly assessed to verify their structural integrity and safety condition. For this purpose, reliability-based structural assessments are typically performed. However, the associated outcomes (i.e., reliability index and probability of failure) highly rely on the accuracy of the structural parameters uncertainty quantification. This work presents a study regarding the influence of the scattering of the arches' thickness dimensions in the load-carrying capacity assessment of the Cernadela Bridge, a historical stone bridge located in Galicia, Spain. The study first involved a comprehensive experimental campaign to characterize the outer and inner bridge geometry through geomatic techniques, i.e., terrestrial laser scanning and ground penetrating radar. Subsequently, a limit analysis model was developed, considering only the arches' outer (visible) data. From this initial structural assessment, a reliability index of 2.38 was obtained. The influence of the uncertain structural parameters, both geometric features and material properties, in the collapse load was investigated through a global variance-based sensitivity analysis (i.e., Sobol' indices) complemented by a surrogate modeling strategy based on the Kriging approach. Finally, the measured inner geometry of the arches was introduced in the computational model through Bayesian inference procedures. Thus, two new structural assessments were performed: first, by considering the updated distributions of all arches thicknesses, and second, by considering only the updated distributions of the non-influential ones. Reliability indexes of 1.51 and 2.33 were derived, thus highlighting the importance of a proper uncertainty quantification process and the relevance of the sensitivity analysis outcomes to identify the critical parameters on the bridge mechanical response.

Dynamic Analysis of Historical Masonry Arch Bridges under Different Earthquakes: The Case of Murat Bey Bridge

Historical structures, which constitute an important part of our cultural heritage, should be well protected and carried into the future. Masonry arch bridges are significant part of these structures. In this study, the single-span Murat Bey Bridge in the province of Kütahya, built in 1460, was studied as a numerical application. Firstly, three dimensional finite element model of the bridge was constituted with SAP2000 finite element program. Static analysis of the bridge under its own weight was carried out. The modal analysis method was used to obtain the dynamic characteristics of the bridge. Then, time-history analysis method was applied for seismic evaluation of the bridge. For this purpose, the acceleration records of the 1998 Adana, 2003 Bingöl, 2011 Van and 2020 Elazığ earthquakes were taken into consideration. As a result of the dynamic analyses carried out, the displacement and stress graphs occurring on the bridge were examined. The highest displacement and stress values on the historical bridge were obtained from the acceleration records of the 2011 Van earthquake.

Ispitivanje procjene uporabljivosti zidanog lučnog mosta izloženog djelovanju potresa dalekog rasjeda

The goal of this study is to examine the historical masonry arch bridge’s static and dynamic behavior using far-field fault earthquakes. The first step is to build a finite element model with ANSYS and SAP2000. This is done to see if the greatest possible displacements, primary stresses, and elastic strains compare. From above, the belt’s upper side appears to be vital for damage. Furthermore, a historical masonry arch bridge’s life cycle assessment is also researched and observed, which results in increased stress and strain values for the bridge, causing its expected life span to be drastically reduced.

Seismic sensitivity analysis of Musa Palas historic masonry arch bridge by Tornado diagram

Seismic sensitivity analysis of Musa Palas historic masonry arch bridge by Tornado diagram

EVALUATION OF THE SEISMIC BEHAVIOR OF THE HISTORIC CLANDRAS BRIDGE

Historical masonry arch bridges are one of the most important structures that convey the cultural heritage of past civilizations to the present. Historical masonry arch bridges were one of the most important elements of transportation and architecture in the past. These structures can be damaged by many natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, etc. from the past to the present. It is necessary to carry out the necessary studies in order to protect these bridges as they were built and to transfer them safely to future generationsIt is clear that determining the earthquake behavior of these bridges, which are exposed to different geometrical properties, materials and loading conditions, will increase the effectiveness of the strengthening works to be done. In this study, the seismic behavior of the Uşak Clandras Bridge, which is a historical masonry arch bridge, was investigated by linear and non-linear time history analysis. Firstly, the 3D model of the masonry bridge was created with the Abaqüs program. To simulate the more real behavior of the structure, a detailed survey was carried out. For the characteristic features of the materials used in the bridge, studies in the literature were taken into consideration. Acceleration records of 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake were used in dynamic analyses.

Construction types and typologies of existing masonry arch bridges in Croatia

Historical masonry arch bridges still form an important part of Croatian transportation network. There are approximately 680 masonry arch bridges and culverts currently being used for railways and roadways. Many of these bridges are relatively old (more than hundred years in most cases) but still in usage. Increasing vehicle load and speeds as well as deterioration due to anthropogenic and environmental influence have highlighted the need for reliable assessment of their service condition and regular maintenance. The aim of this study is to provide a review of existing masonry arch bridges in Croatia. Firstly, a historical review of bridges is given showing the time period in which they were built, indicating the materials and design principles used for their construction. Next, bridge typologies are presented as well as their detailed analysis of geometric characteristics for brickwork bridges. Finally, a short review of damages and their impact on serviceability of bridges is given. This review presents masonry arch bridges in Croatia and the need for reliable method of assessing their service condition in order to provide proper maintenance, repairing and retrofitting.

Investigation on Seismic Behavior of Historical Tokatlı Bridge under Near-Fault Earthquakes

The main purpose of this study is to compare the static and dynamic behavior of a historical single-span masonry arch bridge under different near-fault earthquakes. The historical Tokatlı Bridge, built in Karabük, is chosen for this study. To investigate the behavior of near-fault earthquakes on the historical masonry bridge, first, a finite element model is built and analyzed under various near-fault earthquakes by using ANSYS and SAP2000. To build a finite element model, 162920 nodes and 47818 elements are used in ANSYS. First, finite element analysis results are compared to each other under Earth gravity. Then, ground motions near the fault are chosen to be used in this study. These earthquakes can be listed as follows: Cape Mend (1992), Kobe (1995), Superstition Hills (1987), Northridge (1994), Imperial Valley (1979), and Chi-Chi (1999). The behavior of the single-span historical bridge is obtained under these ground motions, and the results are compared with each other using contour diagrams using ANSYS. Furthermore, at the end of these analyses, it is observed that the tensile stresses have reached the permissible masonry tensile strength, especially on the upper side of the large belt, on the upper side of the belt, and on the side of the belt, and pose a risk for damage.

Ayvalıkemer (Sillyon) historical masonry arch bridge: a multidisciplinary approach for structural assessment using point cloud data obtained by terrestrial laser scanning (TLS)

Ayvalıkemer (Sillyon) historical masonry arch bridge: a multidisciplinary approach for structural assessment using point cloud data obtained by terrestrial laser scanning (TLS)

Arch bridges subject to pier settlements: continuous vs. piecewise rigid displacement methods

Settlements severely affect historic masonry arch bridges worldwide. There are countless examples of structural dislocations and ruins in recent years due to severe settlements at the base of pier foundations, often caused by shipworm infestation of wooden foundations or scouring and riverbed erosion phenomena. The present paper proposes an original way to approach the failure analysis of settled masonry arch bridges. The proposed method combines two different 2D numerical models for the prediction of masonry arch bridge capacity against settlements and for safety assessment. The first one is the Piecewise Rigid Displacement method, i.e. a block-based limit analysis approach using the well known Heyman's hypotheses; the second one is a continuous Finite Element approach. The case study of the four-span Deba Bridge (Spain, 2018) failure is presented with the aim to illustrate how the methods work. The failure analysis produced satisfactory results by applying both methods separately, in confirmation of their reliability. Their combination also allowed to obtain a significantly reduction in computational cost and an improvement of prediction accuracy. A sensitivity and a path-following analysis were also performed with the aim to demonstrate the robustness of the presented method. The obtained simulations highlighted that the results do not depend on the friction angle and that a proper prediction of the evolution of the structural behavior can be obtained only taking into account geometric nonlinearities. Such results demonstrate once again that in settled masonry arches geometry prevails over the mechanical parameters. The current study paves the way for the fruitful use of the proposed approaches for a wider range of applications, as, for example, the mechanism identification or the displacement capacity assessment of masonry structures under overloading as seismic loads.

Seismic vulnerability assessment of masonry arch bridges

A seismic assessment study of two historical masonry arch bridges, with different geometries and spans, is presented. The seismicity of the two locations was analyzed in order to define the seismic action to be applied. Artificial ground motion records were generated accordingly, and real ground motions were also used. The two numerical models were created with a 3D discrete element code. The accuracy of the deformability of the block models was verified by comparison with a finite element model. In situ measurements of the natural frequencies were available for one of the bridges, providing further means for model calibration. Time domain dynamic analyses were performed with each set of ground motions, allowing an evaluation of damage and failure modes under seismic action. The shorter span bridge was found to withstand the regulatory records with minimum damage. In contrast, the longer span bridge displayed a significant vulnerability to earthquake action. The study shows that rigid block models have the ability to represent effectively the dynamic elastic response of the bridges and can be calibrated by ambient vibration measurements. Furthermore, the discrete element models provide a powerful tool to investigate the nonlinear dynamic response and failure of these structures, which has to be based on a comprehensive set of dynamic records.

Seismic Response of a Historical Masonry Bridge under Near and Far-fault Ground Motions

Historical masonry arch bridges which might be vulnerable to natural disasters are important part of the cultural heritage. Natural disasters, especially earthquakes can inflict damage to these structural systems. This paper aims to investigate a comparison of the effects of near and far-fault ground motions on the seismic response of masonry arch bridges under different earthquakes. Kalender masonry arch bridge which is located in Ergani, Turkey is selected as a numerical model. For this purpose, three-dimensional finite element model of the bridge is generated with ANSYS finite element software with macro modelling approach. Seismic response of the bridge is assessed by means of time-history analyses. The near-fault and far-fault ground motions, which have approximately equal peak ground accelerations, of 1979 Imperial Valley, 1999 Chi-Chi, 1999 Kocaeli and 2010 Darfield earthquakes are considered for the analyses. Comparisons between maximum displacements, maximum and minimum stress, which were acquired from the dynamic analyses of the masonry bridge subjected to each fault effect, are obtained. The study demonstrates that far-fault ground motions are as important as near-fault ground motions and it can be used together with near-fault ground motion for further evaluation of such historical masonry bridges.

Reliability-based seismic performance of masonry arch bridges

Seismic structural assessment of masonry arch bridges is essential due to their cultural, economic and strategic importance and vulnerability. A realistic and rigorous structural assessment is necessary in order to protect the bridges and use resources carefully. At this time, there are no standardised or widely accepted assessment procedures, and the performance criteria for masonry arch bridges are not available. This study presents an overarching reliability-based seismic assessment methodology based on analytical modelling, laboratory testing and probabilistic assessment. It investigates the performance criteria concept and proposes performance limit states. The methodology is applied to a historical masonry arch bridge in Turkey. To consider rigorously the uncertainties in material properties and seismic input, probabilistic nonlinear analyses are conducted using a detailed 3D finite element model. The results are combined with the proposed limit state definitions to generate the capacity and demand distributions. Both distributions are used in Monte Carlo simulation and First-Order Reliability Method (FORM) to estimate the probability of exceedance and reliability indexes for each limit state. The proposed probabilistic assessment methodology will be a useful approach to obtaining more reliable information about masonry arch bridges' expected seismic performance and for better-informed decision-making, especially when designing intervention actions and post-earthquake scenarios.