Author(s)

P.A. Woolfenden

Abstract

Bridge assessment requires the determination of the load carrying capacity of a structure. Evaluating the structural response of a masonry arch to loading conditions is a complex task and considerable effort has been put into modelling masonry arch behaviour. This has facilitated the production of analytical methods and software tools capable of predicting the collapse load of masonry arches. A collaboration between British Rail Research (BRR) and Nottingham University (NU) has produced comprehensive analytical software, employing the latest Finite Element (FE) techniques. BRR has refined this software to produce a fast, flexible and easy-to-use "Masonry Arch FE Analysis" system (MAFEA), which has recently been adapted for use as a general arch assessment software package. 1 Introduction For masonry a

Keywords