Two-dimensional experimental and numerical modelling of a soil-filled masonry arch

S. H. S. Ahmad, L. Augusthus-Nelson, Gareth Michael Swift

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

    Abstract

    The ultimate load carrying capacity of soil-filled masonry arches is significantly higher than that of bare masonry arches. The soil fill has a stabilizing effect on the masonry arch, distributing the live load and providing passive resistance to deformation of the arch. The masonry arch behaves in a discontinuous manner, governed by interaction between masonry units and soil-masonry interfaces, where forces and displacements are concentrated. In order to understand the behaviour of this soil-structure system, a full scale masonry arch was constructed under laboratory conditions within a stiff, very low-friction chamber to accommodate backfill and confine the system to planar deformation. The system was subjected to monotonic quasi-static loading to collapse. The experimentally observed behaviour is compared with that of a 2-dimensional numerical model of the system using commercial distinct element software.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationProceedings of the XVI ECSMGE Geotechnical Engineering for Infrastructure and Development
    Place of PublicationLondon, UK
    PublisherICE Publishing
    Pages541-546
    Number of pages6
    ISBN (Print)978-0-7277-6067-8
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2015
    EventEuropean Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering - EICC, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
    Duration: 13 Sept 201517 Sept 2015
    http://xvi-ecsmge-2015.org.uk/
    http://xvi-ecsmge-2015.org.uk/

    Conference

    ConferenceEuropean Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
    Abbreviated titleXVI ECSMGE 2015
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    CityEdinburgh
    Period13/09/1517/09/15
    Internet address

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Two-dimensional experimental and numerical modelling of a soil-filled masonry arch'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this