RESEARCH ARTICLE


Seismic Performance Evaluation of a Multi-Span Existing Masonry Arch Bridge



Michele D’Amato*, Michelangelo Laterza, Vito Michele Casamassima
Department of European and Mediterranean Cultures, Architecture, Environment, Cultural Heritage, University of Basilicata, Matera, Italy


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Creative Commons License
© 2017 D’Amato et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the DICEM - Department of European and Mediterranean Cultures: Architecture, Environment, Cultural Heritage. University of Basilicata, Matera, Italy, Tel: +39 3478070752; E-mails: michele.damato@unibas.it; damato.mic@gmail.com


Abstract

Introduction:

Existing old masonry arch bridges represent an architectural and cultural heritage of inestimable value because most of them were built in the last century and are still in service. They represent a very important part of roads and railways networks, having also an important strategic role. They are actually serving roads characterized by transit loads definitively heavier and more frequent than the ones of the past. Moreover, very often maintenance absence and material worn away, increased by the way by the environmental conditions, accelerate more and more the elements deterioration with a consequent loss of integrity and reduction of their carrying capacity.

Methods:

In this paper the seismic assessment of an old multi span masonry arch bridge still in service is evaluated. The bridge, located in Southern Italy, was built before the Second World War and crosses the “Cavone” River, from which it takes the name.

Results and Conclusion:

A series of numerical analyses are performed in order to evaluate its seismic performance and the model sensitivity with respect to the assumed masonry mechanical properties.

Keywords: Brick masonry, Existing bridges, Masonry arch, Nonlinear analyses, Seismic assessment, Structural interventions.