Such an increase in weight-carrying capacity is huge, though in practice a detailed computation is necessary to confirm the final strength of the stone arch bridge once thus modified. According to information published in the excellent book Safety of Historical Stone Arch Bridges by Dick Proske and Pieter van Gelder, experiments revealed that the load capacity of a stone bridge could be increased by a factor of over three times simply by adding a reinforced concrete slab to the structure. This makes the load distribution highly effective. As a reinforced concrete slab can handle significant tensile forces, it is better able to distribute a moving load over the entire arch. The reinforced concrete slab does what the increase of fill height does, only better. While increasing the height of the fill over a stone arch bridge is effective for increasing its weight-carrying capacities, adding a reinforced concrete slab to the top of the bridge strengthens the bridge even more. Distributing Loads with a Reinforced Concrete Slab Though it has its limitations, overall it is surprisingly effective. This is one of the simplest methods of strengthening a stone arch bridge. The new work blends in with the old quite well. As part of a rehab of this bridge, the height of the fill was increased by adding another layer of stones to the top of the bridge and filling in with gravel. The 1899 Wilson Bridge in Butler County, Kansas.
If this is done in stone, the modification will be quite elegant when completed. To implement a deeper fill on a stone arch bridge, the spandrel and approach walls will likely need to be built up higher to hold the fill material.
#Stone arch bridge height .exe#
The popular modified MEXE method of arch bridge weight limit rating takes fill depth into account in its calculations. That said, the load distribution caused by the fill becomes particularly effective when the fill is two or more feet deep. In general, fill should ideally be at least one foot deep over the arch of the bridge. As outlined in the previous post of this series, arches prefer well-distributed loads as opposed to concentrated loads, which is why increasing the height of the fill over the bridge works to strengthen it. This method works primarily by distributing the load of vehicles crossing the bridge, though it also serves to increase the amount of compression in the arch and reduces the weight difference between the crown and haunches of the arch. One very simple method of strengthening a stone arch bridge is to increase the amount of fill over the bridge.
Fortunately, there are several ways to strengthen a stone arch bridge significantly. Sometimes, however, something a little more than can be obtained from routine maintenance is required. It follows, then that one method of strengthening a stone arch bridge is repairing it as needed to obtain a good condition. This means that the masonry should be intact, missing and misplaced stones should be reset, and mortar joints should be kept in good condition. Thus, a stone arch bridge’s condition is important to its ability to handle weight. One obvious factor directly related to any bridge’s strength is its condition. Also, once reinforced, a stone bridge will still need to have its weight-carrying capabilities entirely re-evaluated to determine the maximum safe operating load. Please be aware that our descriptions here are for idea purposes only they are not intended to spell out in detail the exact process that will be required to strengthen a stone bridge using one or more of the listed methods. When it comes to strengthening a stone arch bridge, there is a surprisingly wide variety of options available, ranging from simple to elaborate. This understanding helps to make sense of some of the techniques we will outline in this post. Understanding how a stone arch bridge becomes overloaded helps us to find ways to strengthen such a bridge. In our previous post on the topic of strengthening stone arch bridges, we outlined how arch bridges fail.
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