A new deck arch bridge and a study on its mechanical properties by FE and experiment methods

Abstract

In this study, a new type of deck arch bridge was proposed based on the triangle stability principle, and its mechanical properties were tested. The new deck arch bridge—named the superposed truss arch bridge—consists of main arches, auxiliary arches, a girder, and web members. These components adopt steel structures and are connected into a series of triangles to form a superposed truss structure. The new structural system design retains the advantages of the truss and arch structure. Additionally, the rise-span ratio of the main arch can be smaller in the new system design, so the rise height is smaller, which can decrease construction difficulty. The underlying mechanical principles of the new bridge were explained. A new type of railway deck arch bridge with a 650 m span was designed, and the finite element method was used to analyze its stiffness, strength, stability, and dynamic properties and the corresponding effects of the arch-axis coefficient, rise-span ratio, and span length on the mechanical properties. An experiment was carried out on a new deck arch bridge and a conventional deck arch bridge with the same span (10 m) to compare their performance. The results showed that the new deck arch bridge exhibited good mechanical properties while being inexpensive and easy to construct, which makes it suitable for high-speed railway bridges.