Investigation of assessment methods for railway masonry arch bridges

Wang, J; Haynes, BJ; Melbourne, C

Abstract

Although masonry arch bridge research over the last few decades has spawned several advanced capacity assessment tools, the maintenance and assessment of these bridges is still a constant concern for the bridge owners. There have been many appeals for the MEXE method to be replaced but no agreed alternative has yet been found. Though the development of a new, simple and robust capacity assessment is important, there is an immediate need to identify critical issues in the current assessment methods which may lead to unsafe capacity assessments. This paper provides a critical appraisal of the MEXE method proposed in the current Railway Codes. Details of the specific concerns are established, justified and assessed. Conclusions are drawn which are potentially of significant practical interest.

Citation

Wang, J., Haynes, B., & Melbourne, C. (2018, October). Investigation of assessment methods for railway masonry arch bridges. Presented at 8th International Conference on Arch Bridges, Wroclaw, Poland

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: 8th International Conference on Arch Bridges
• Conference Location: Wroclaw, Poland
• Start Date: Oct 5, 2018
• End Date: Oct 7, 2018
• Publication Date: Oct 5, 2016
• Deposit Date: Dec 10, 2018
• Publisher URL: http://www.arch16.pwr.edu.pl/#/general
• Additional Information: Event Type : Conference