Kinematic approach for scour analysis of masonry arch bridges

The scour-induced bridge collapse is a critical contributor to the failure of brick or stone masonry arch bridges, which forms a significant share of the existing rail and road infrastructure across the world. Holistic information on the possible failures and the associated collapse mechanisms is essential in formulating suitable mitigation strategies for arch bridges susceptible to scouring. In this context, a novel, quantitative procedure based on limit analysis is developed in this research to quantify the collapse behaviour of masonry arch bridges subjected to scouring at the bridge foundation. Critical foundation movements initiated by scouring are identified as a function of bridge typology and scour-location. Linear kinematic analysis procedures are formulated for the identified collapse mechanisms corresponding to each foundation movement. The proposed iterative procedure uses minimum geometric information to quantify the collapse behaviour of arch bridges with sufficient accuracy.

Automated summary

Scour-induced bridge collapse is a significant cause of failure for brick or stone masonry arch bridges in the existing rail and road infrastructure worldwide. This research develops a novel quantitative procedure based on limit analysis to assess the collapse behavior of masonry arch bridges subjected to scouring, enabling the formulation of suitable mitigation strategies.