ABSTRACT
Some recent approaches have succeeded in modelling the behaviour of the bridge, such as the interaction of filling with the arch barrel (Cavicchi and Gambarotta 2005) and the contribution of the spandrel walls (Fanning and Boothby 2001), in line with what was observed in the experimental tests. Despite the results achieved, an intrinsic difficulty remains in three-dimensional finite element modelling, deriving from the high dependence on of the results on input parameters and boundary conditions not easy to determine. In any cases, full 3D non-linear approaches would generally require a high computational effort,
especially for multi-span bridges, which pertain to a more refined analysis and is not justified for initial or intermediate-level assessment.
