A Methodology for Seismic Vulnerability of Masonry Arch Bridge Walls

Notwithstanding its potentially high level, the seismic vulnerability of masonry arch bridges has yet to be completely perceived, possibly due to the relatively scarce damage evidence collected after recent earthquakes. The dearth of research studies on this topic is thus one of the main motivations behind the current endeavour, which aims at a better understanding of the dynamic interaction between the arch walls and the filling material of typical masonry arch bridges, and the consequent susceptibility of the latter to out-of-plane collapse mechanisms. Within this framework, a numerical model for the evaluation of the seismic out-of-plane capacity of bridge walls, including the effects of the infill material, is proposed. This methodology can be subdivided into three main components; computation of static earth pressure, evaluation of dynamic soil thrust, assessment of out-of-plane capacity of a masonry wall. In addition, a congruent and relatively simple procedure for the estimation of the seismic demand on the arch wall is described. Finally, a parametric study is carried out with a view to appraise the seismic vulnerability associated to typical masonry arch bridge typologies.