Bearing capacity assessment of a 14th century arch bridge in Lecco (Italy) |
| |
Authors: | Paolo Martinelli Andrea Galli Luigi Barazzetti Matteo Colombo Roberto Felicetti Mattia Previtali |
| |
Institution: | 1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan Italy;2. Department of Architecture, Built environment and Construction engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy |
| |
Abstract: | The article presents the results of an experimental and numerical investigation on Azzone Visconti bridge, a 14th century arch bridge in Lecco (northern Italy). Starting from the historical data and from an extensive mechanical characterization of both the soil constituting the riverbed and of the masonry constituting the piers, the aim of the study is to investigate the bearing capacity of the bridge. A testing loading scheme defined according to the current Italian Code is adopted to check the structural behavior. A simplified finite element structural model was conceived and calibrated as a control tool to safely perform the experimental tests. Post-test nonlinear finite element analyses have allowed the prediction of the bridge bearing capacity and the definition of the bridge class according to the Italian regulations. |
| |
Keywords: | 3D geometrical survey cored sample tests masonry arch bridge non-destructive tests numerical FE analyses on-site bearing load test soil-structure interaction |
|