A through arch bridge, also known as a through-type arch bridge, is a bridge that is made from materials such as steel or reinforced concrete, in which the base of an arch structure is below the deck but the top rises above it. It can either be lower bearing or mid-bearing. Thus, the deck is within the arch, and cables or beams that are in tension suspend the central part of the deck from the arch.
For a specific construction method, especially for masonry arches, the proportions of the arch remain similar no matter what the size: wider arches are thus required to be taller arches. For a semi-circular arch, the height is half of the span. Bridges across deep, narrow gorges can have their arch placed entirely beneath a flat roadway, but bridges in flatter country rise above their road approaches. A wide bridge may require an arch so tall as to become a significant obstacle and incline for the roadway. Small bridges can be hump-backed, but larger bridges such as the Old Bridge, Pontypridd may become so steep as to require steps, making their use for wheeled traffic difficult. Railways also find arched bridges difficult as they are even less tolerant of inclines. Where simple arched bridges are used for railways on flat terrain the cost of building long approach embankments may be considerable.
Further issues are the foundations for the bridge. Arch bridges generate large side thrusts on their footings and so may require a solid bedrock foundation. Flattening the arch shape to avoid the humpback problem, such as for Brunel's Maidenhead bridge, increases this side thrust. It is often impossible to achieve a flat enough arch, simply owing to the limitations of the foundations – particularly in flat country. Historically, such bridges often became viaducts of multiple small arches.
With the availability of iron or concrete as structural materials, it became possible to construct a through arch bridge: a bridge where the deck does not have to be carried over the top of the arch.
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct (a long bridge) may be made from a series of arches, although other more economical structures are typically used today. List of Roman bridgesList of medieval stone bridges in Germany and List of medieval bridges in France Possibly the oldest existing arch bridge is the Mycenaean Arkadiko Bridge in Greece from about 1300 BC.
L'art des structures propose une découverte du fonctionnement des structures porteuses, telles que les bâtiments, les toitures ou les ponts. Ce cours présente les principes du dimensionnement et les s
Les structures en treillis, en poutre, en dalles et en cadre sont essentielles pour une grande partie des constructions modernes : immeubles pour l'habitation ou de bureaux, halles et usines, ponts, o
Ce cours traite les principaux aspects de la conception et du dimensionnement des ponts en béton armé et précontraint. L'accent est mis sur les ponts poutres. Etude des aspects suivants : optimisation
Introduction à la conception et au dimensionnement des ponts en béton armé et précontraint, ainsi qu'en construction mixte. Ce cours porte sur le choix du type de pont, des principales dimensions des
Bridges are a critical component of national infrastructures and economies. A significant percentage of bridges built all around the world are made of reinforced concrete which according to building codes have a life span between 80-100 years. However, str ...
EPFL2022
, , , ,
Today, concrete is the most widely used construction material worldwide. Strong, versatile, durable, and vector of economic development, this exceptional material is also the principal cause of greenhouse-gas emissions, material depletion and waste generat ...
Excessive self-weight and difficulty in construction are the main issues confronted by super-long-span arch bridges. To address these issues, a conceptual design of steel-ultra-high performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) composite truss arch bridge ...