Structural behaviour and design criteria of spatial arch bridges
- Autores: Marta Sarmiento Comesías
- Directores de la Tesis: Ana María Ruiz Terán (dir. tes.), Ángel Carlos Aparicio Bengoechea (dir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) ( España ) en 2015
- Idioma: inglés
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Joan Ramón Casas Rius (presid.), Gonzalo Ramos Schneider (secret.), Pier Giorgio Malerba (voc.), Miguel Angel Astiz Suárez (voc.), Miguel Fernández Ruiz (voc.)
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Tesis en acceso abierto en: TDX
- Resumen
Spatial Arch Bridges (SABs) are defined as bridges in which vertical deck loads produce bending moments and shear forces not contained in the arch plane due to their geometrical and structural configuration. Moreover, the arch itself may not be contained in a plane. A wide compilation of examples of this bridge type has been made. Different benchmarks have been developed to assure the validity of the analysis methods employed in the present research. An in-depth study of planar and non-planar Inferior Deck Arch Bridges With Imposed Curvature (IDABWIC) has been carried out. In this type of spatial arch bridges the arch and the deck centroid lines are both contained in the same vertical cylinder. The aim of the study is to propose the most appropriate design for controlling the out-of-plane response. In order to understand the behaviour of these arches, different frame 3D models have been developed and analyzed with commercial software. The arch definition, the deck and arch plan curvature, the arch sag and cross-sections rigidity of arch, deck and hangers, as well as arch cross-section area and different hanger/deck and hanger/arch connection types, have been studied as variables under both symmetrical and asymmetrical vertical loading. Both flexible and rigid hangers have been analysed. A thorough study for different geometries and boundary conditions at deck abutments of superior deck true SABs under vertical loading and temperature variation has been conducted. The purpose of the study is to understand the structural behaviour of different geometries of this bridge type and to establish the best boundary conditions at abutments in each case. Vertical planar arch bridges with a curved superior deck are spatial arch bridges (SABs) with a very characteristic structural behaviour and many interesting structural and aesthetic possibilities. A thorough parametric analysis has been conducted in order to establish efficient values of different parameters for this bridge type according to different criteria. The objective is to minimize the total amount of structural materials. An appropriate range of values for the different parameters (arch/deck eccentricity, arch rise, arch/deck vertical distance, inclination of struts and the cross-section of the different elements) is given and it is established which parameters are key to the bridge behaviour. The changes in the structural behaviour according to the different parameters are explained. The stability of SABs with a curved deck is studied and compared with that of planar vertical arch bridges with a straight deck. For different models of this bridge type geometrically non-linear analyses with and without imperfections have been conducted. The sensibility to imperfections has also been studied, considering the coded imperfections based on the behaviour of planar vertical arch bridges. Most SABs are footbridges. Therefore, the dynamic behaviour of this bridge type is an important aspect to be considered. The dynamic behavior of this type of footbridges has been hence also conducted for a SAB example with curved superior deck.
