VAULT-FILL INTERACTION IN MASONRY BRIDGES: AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH - 1: STATICS

Masonry bridges are usually considered as an arch to which non-structural elements (spandrels, fill, etc.) are added. Experimental and theoretical evidences show, instead, that spandrels and fill take part in the load carrying mechanism accounting for a large part of the load carrying capacity. If this is neglected, the structural models may turn out to be unreliable and their outcomes strongly non-correlated with the real response of the bridge. In this paper, the arch-fil and arch-spanrel interaction is demonstrated and quantified by means of experimental tests on reduced scale models set on proper scaling rules. Woth deep and shallow arches are considered.