Many of Europe’s oldest bridges – now subjected to traffic unimaginable to the original

constructors – are of masonry. Good management of these masonry bridges is demanding.

A

sustainable approach sees engineers drawing deeply on the available intellectual resources
to

avoid unnecessary work on the one hand, and unplanned closures on the other. Identifying which

structures need strengthening – and planning suitable interventions – requires not merely
an

assessment of load-carrying capacity but moreover a thorough understanding of the

structural

behaviour of each bridge.

This paper explores the application of finite element methods to masonry bridges. Options
for

idealisation are outlined and recommended; considering issues of soil-structure interaction,

material parameters and nonlinearity. However, the emphasis is upon promoting an

understanding of the structure itself.

Keywords: Bridges; Brickwork & masonry; Stress analysis