ABSTRACT
Arches are thrusted structures consisting of curvilinear bars with convexity in a direction opposite to the load. Further, loads are taken as vertical and directed downward and arches as convex upward. Arches can be statically determinate and indeterminate, and static determinacy of an arch depends on the number of hinges in its construction. Statically indeterminate arches can be unhinged, one-, and two-hinged. This chapter considers three-hinged arches which comprise two curved bars connected by an intermediate hinge and two hinged immovable supports. The shape of an arch is specified by its axial line and cross-sections of bars with centroids in the axial line. The vertical drawn from the crown to the support line is referred to as the arch rise. Arches are employed in bridge superstructures and as the rafters for sheds and roofs of large extensions.
