Stephen.W.Garrity 1and Irina L.Toropova1
ABSTRACT
A three-dimensional finite element analysis of a typical brick arch highway bridge with nearsurface reinforcement is presented. The effects of the fill over the barrel, spandrel walls, patch loading and the presence of defects such as cracks were included in the analysis. Initially an elastic analysis of the bridge under design service loading was undertaken. The effect of reinforcement was found to be most significant in the presence of existing cracks. In order to asses the effect of near-surface reinforcement on the load-carrying capacity of the bridge, a non-linear finite element analysis with incrementally applied UK standard highway loading was used. Preliminary results showed that the reinforcement delays the onset of cracking and increases the collapse load by up to 45%.
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