Transverse acceleration causing damage in a masonry arch bridge

2018 Ingenta. A change in the form and type of traffic utilizing masonry arch bridges has been reported in the literature to cause an unexplained level of transverse damage in the bridges, even when the vehicle loading is within the accepted limits. Of the three most probable causes for this problem, the issue of transverse acceleration on the bridge is investigated here. Acceleration response on the bridge can be measured using standard 3 axis accelerometers with ambient vibration providing the minor test loads and vehicle loads providing the major test loads. A method is developed for testing the masonry arch bridges for detecting damage caused by transverse acceleration specific in the bridge and an example from measurements of masonry arch bridges in the UK is used to demonstrate the problem and solution.

Transverse acceleration causing damage in a masonry arch bridge Conference Paper