ABSTRACT
Multi-ring brickwork masonry arch bridges in service in the European railway and roadway network represents a typology of masonry bridges that generally have lower load carrying capacity with respect to masonry arch bridges with different arch texture. These bridges differ from the single-ring arches for their peculiar mechanical behaviors and collapse modality. This paper presents the evaluation of the load carrying capacity of multi-ring masonry arches by means of a simplified numerical strategy, that permits to investigate the in-plane failure mechanism of the element. In the simplified approach the arch geometry is subdivided in rigid elements, interacting along their rigid edges through non-linear bidimensional links in which the stiffness and the material nonlinearities are concentrated. The numerical results obtained with the proposed approach are compared with experimental outcomes.
