Elaboration of a rapid assessment method for masonry arches

Reassessment of masonry arches necessitates feasible methods for analysing the static behaviour of the persisting structure. In this paper, a method is presented that gives an approximation of the load bearing capacity using only very few geometrical dimensions. Unlike other commercial software kits, the methodology is not tailored to do an exact structural analysis using as-built drawings and documentations, but it is made for a rapid classification of civil engineering structures in the field. Characteristics of the proposed methodology are the analysis using thrust lines and the minimized time consumption for the exploration of the structural properties, which makes the approach the first choice for rapid classification tasks within the German Armed Forces. The application that will be delivered as an App for tablets and other mobile devices shall be used for rapid classification of masonry arches with regard to the crossing of military vehicles, but can easily be adapted for civil applications. For a worked example on the presented methodology, see [25].