2-D analysis of arch bridges using an elasto-plastic material model

A general method for the static determination of the continuous distribution of internal forces and displacements in arbitrarily shaped arch bridges under different load conditions is proposed. The basis of the elasto-plastic model are three equations of equilibrium: horizontal equilibrium, vertical equilibrium and equilibrium of moments. Boundary conditions are added to impose restrictions on the horizontal and vertical movement and on rotations at the abutments of the arch. For masonry arches, it is necessary to include material properties that allow the occurrence of cracks and the subsequent formation of hinges. This theory has been implemented in a computer program that was subsequently used to calculate the results of the two examples presented here, an arch loaded with a vertical point load and under the influence of a horizontal displacement of one abutment.