In-plane elastic stability of steel arches : application to some bridge cases

Abstract EN

In the present study, the in-plane elastic buckling capacity of three common steel arch bridge cases is studied.

The first case is an arch bridge with one, two or three vertical posts.

The second case is a bowstring configuration with one, two or three vertical hangers.

The third case deals with an open spandrel deck arch bridge with one, two or three posts.

Circular, parabolic and inverted catenary arch shapes with prismatic sections are analyzed.

The in-plane maximum elastic load carrying capacity is determined for each one of the above cases by using the finite element computer package COSMOS / M®.

The loading system considered in this study consists of symmetrical uniform distributed loads.

For all cases however, the base edge conditions of the structures are assumed hinged except in the case of tied arch or bowstring design in which one base is hinged and the other roller.