3

structural solutions for medium spans, as for slenderness, the ach height or hanger steel
spans longer than 300 m. weight.
The collected data allowed acquiring the
“know-how” to concentrate the information in

2. OBJECTIVES some charts that display some relations

between bridge spans, arch heights, function,
deck steel and concrete weight, aiming to
The main purposes identified for this
obtain same “state-of-the-art” rules for the
study, in order to carry out a Preliminary
design of a Bowstring tied-arch deck.
Design of a Bowstring tied-arch bridge deck,
65
were the following: 60 Motorway
55

Arch height [m]

 Development of a data base including 50
45
Railway
40
the Bowstring tied-arch bridges 35 High-speed Railway
30
25
worldwide; 20
Motorway/Railway
15
 Preliminary study of multiple structural 10 Motorway/Light
5 Railway
0
solutions for this kind of construction, 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

and pre-design of the main structural Span [m]

elements; Figure 3.1 – Relation between the arch height and

 Study of the deck behavior for the span length

design actions, according to the

The results of Figure 3.1 enables to
Eurocodes;
conclude that there is an increasing arch
 Obtain the main deck quantities and its
height and approximately linear with the span,
estimated cost for the proposed solution,
and that it doesn’t matter in a significantly way,
and compare these results with the
if it concerns to a highway or railway bridge. It
constructed structure and other
also shows that the higher stiffness of the
Bowstring tied-arch bridges; and
deck, which is usually required in railway
 Conclusion assessment resuming
bridges, is, in Bowstring decks, achieved
advantages and disadvantages of the
without raising up the arch, but rising the
proposed deck solution.
stiffness of the deck slab, by the increasing the
steel used on hangers, arch sections and deck
girders.
3. BOWSTRING BRIDGES 4500
Total Quantity of steel/m2

Motorway
4000
AROUND THE WORLD
of deck slab [kg/m2]

3500
Railway
3000
2500 High-speed Railway
2000
An extensive search has been
1500 Motorway/Railway
conducted in order to characterized every kind 1000
500 Motorway/Light
of Bowstring tied-arch bridges that have been Railway
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
built all over the years, and to built a data base
Span [m]
with extensive technical and geometric
Figure 3.2 – Relation between the total amount of
information, such as the main span, the deck
2
steel by m of deck slab, and the span