Investigation of the behaviour of single span reinforced concrete historic bridges by using the finite element method

Single span reinforced concrete (RC) historic bridges have been commonly constructed with symmetric parabolic haunches. Due to their non-prismatic geometrical configuration, their assessment, particularly the computation of fixed-end forces (FEFs) and fixed-end moments (FEMs), becomes a complex problem. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the modelling, analysis and behaviour of such bridges with the aid of finite element (FE) modelling. FEFs and FEMs due to uniformly distributed loads and point loads, as well as vertical deflections, were computed through a comprehensive parametric study. Design formulas and dimensionless design coefficients were proposed based on a comprehensive parametric study using FE models.