Archtec: Verification of Structural Analysis

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Description

Archtec is an innovative system that has been developed for assessing and strengthening masonry arch bridges. In many circumstances it offers considerable advantages over other alternatives and since its creation in 1998 it has been used widely in the United Kingdom on Local Authority owned bridge stock and several projects have also been undertaken overseas. More than 120 bridges have now either been assessed or strengthened using the system.

At the heart of the strengthening system is the method of structural analysis used to assess arch bridge behaviour. This analysis is based on numerical simulation and the Finite/Discrete Element technique using the program ELFEN. The technique, never used before to model arch bridges, enables good prediction of strength and displacement and permits features such as rings in arches, multiple spans, slender piers, aspects of deterioration and strengthening to be fully quantified.

Extensive verification work has been undertaken to confirm the suitability and accuracy of the numerical methods employed, including evaluation against specifically commissioned full-scale tests and published data from tests by others, and against conventional methods of arch assessment.

See also