COMPUTATIONAL MODELLING OF MASONRY, BRICKWORK AND BLOCKWORK STRUCTURES
Chapter 8
C. Melbourne+ and M. Gilbert*+Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Salford, United Kingdom *Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom This chapter reviews some of the basic problems associated with modelling masonry arches. The masonry arch has been used since antiquity. Its aesthetic appeal remains unchallenged but the analysis of such structural forms remains fertile ground for the analyst. Prior to considering global arch bridge modelling approaches, some of the basic characteristics of masonry materials are discussed. The development of a conceptually simple rigid block mechanism method of analysis is then described. This method permits estimates of the ultimate load carrying capacity of arches (including multi-span and multi-ring brickwork arches) to be rapidly obtained. However, in some circumstances it is clearly not realistic to assume the constituent blocks in a masonry arch are rigid, and hence there will always be a place for (non-linear) elastic methods of analysis; issues relevant to this are discussed. | ||||||||||
