seismic retrofit of masonry slabs in existing steel or masonry buildings has found special significance in current codes as failure of unstable jack arch slabs has been reported as a major reason for collapsing structures in middle east deadly earthquakes. in this paper, three retrofit schemes are investigated and compared. the proposed rehabilitation techniques consist of a single x strapping,...

The predictability of masonry arch bridges and their behaviour is widely considered doubtful due to the lack of knowledge about the conditions of a given masonry arch bridge. The assessment methods for masonry arch bridges are MEXE, ARCHIE, RING and Frame Analysis Method. The material properties of the masonry and fill material are extremely difficult to determine accurately. Consequently, it i...

Many single or multispan arch bridges are strengthened with the addition of some kind of structural support between adjacent arches of multispan or beside the arch barrel of a single span to increase the strength of the overall structure. It was traditionally formed by either placing loose rubble masonry blocks between the arches and beside the arches or using mortar or concrete to construct a ...

The main purpose of this paper is to give an overview on the state of the art of inspection, assessment and maintenance of masonry arch railway bridges by the presentation of the results of an ongoing international research project run by the International Union of Railways (UIC) with the participation of 14 railway administrations. The survey has shown that the European railways partaking in t...

Close to reality computation of the serviceability and load-carrying capacity of old masonry arch bridges for rising live loads is a current problem. In Germany many of such roadand railway bridges exist. Some of the most important features for applicable numerical evaluation of masonry arch bridges are a realistic structural model (very often three dimensional models are necessary), the consid...

Unreinforced masonry (URM) walls comprise vertical piers and horizontal spandrels, which together form the lateral load resisting system. Whereas past research yielded significant advances in the understanding of the force–deformation characteristics of masonry piers, knowledge of the behaviour of masonry spandrels is lacking. This paper makes a contribution to our understanding of the seismic ...

Virtually all masonry arch bridges contain masonry parapets and, because of the possibility that these may be extensively damaged following a vehicle impact, it is often reported that these give engineers more cause for concern than the arch barrel itself. Over the past decade research has been carried out to gain an understanding of the fundamental modes of resistance of unreinforced masonry p...

Walls of corridors and chambers in the Neolithic dolmens of Portugal and Spain were constructed using megalithic slabs or masonry. When constructed with slabs, the slabs were arranged using two very different construction systems, based either on placement of an orthostat or on imbrication of the slabs. Although generally dolmens are described with orthostats, on the Iberian Peninsula are most ...