A discrete macro-element method for structural assessment of masonry arch bridges

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Bonatte, Maurício and Tubaldi, Enrico and Oliveira, Daniel V. and Cannizzaro, Francesco and Rapicavoli, Davide and Pantò, Bartolomeo and Falco, Marcello and McDonald, Hazel and Matos, José C. and Caliò, Ivo (2026) A discrete macro-element method for structural assessment of masonry arch bridges. Engineering Structures, 359. 122757. ISSN 0141-0296 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2026.122757)

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Abstract

Masonry Arch Bridges (MABs) are complex structures whose behaviour is dependent on the interaction of various components. Over the years, a variety of modelling strategies have been proposed to capture this behaviour, each offering a different balance between computational cost, accuracy, and level of detail. This paper investigates the effectiveness and accuracy of a Discrete Macro-Element Modelling (DMEM) strategy for the analysis of MABs. Originally developed for the analysis of unreinforced masonry buildings (URM), the DMEM strategy is here extended to describe the behaviour of masonry and non-masonry bridge components (including the backfill) as well as their non-linear interactions under the action of external vertical loads. To enable this application, a novel three-dimensional hexahedral macro-element has been developed and implemented, allowing interaction with adjacent elements through all the six macro-element’s faces. An extensive numerical investigation is carried out to validate the developed strategy against several experimental and numerical benchmarks, characterised by different bridge typologies, geometries and loading conditions. This includes single- and multi-span bridges, with attached and detached spandrel walls and arch brickwork defects such as ring separation. The results show that the DMEM approach can accurately predict the load-carrying capacity of MABs while maintaining a very low computational cost, making it suitable for the assessment of larger and complex structures by both engineers and researchers.

ORCID iDs

Bonatte, Maurício, Tubaldi, Enrico ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8565-8917, Oliveira, Daniel V., Cannizzaro, Francesco, Rapicavoli, Davide, Pantò, Bartolomeo, Falco, Marcello, McDonald, Hazel, Matos, José C. and Caliò, Ivo;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)