Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/S53336/01
Title:	Holistic limit analysis and retrofit design synthesis for masonry arch bridges
Principal Investigator:	Gilbert, Professor M
Other Investigators:	Smith, Dr CC
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Civil and Structural Engineering
Organisation:	University of Sheffield
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	29 September 2004	Ends:	28 September 2007	Value (£):	63,531
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Ground Engineering Structural Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Construction
Related Grants:
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 28 May 2003 Engineering Advanced Fellowships Interview Panel Deferred 02 May 2003 Engineering Fellowships Sift Panel 2003 Deferred
Summary on Grant Application Form
With around half of all bridge spans in the UK estimated to be of masonry construction, these structures form a vital part of the UK's transport infrastructure. All bridges need to be regularly assessed and confidence in the traditional, empirically based, 'MEXE' method is at an all-time low. As part of this project a new integrated limit analysis and design synthesis tool being developed as part of an associated Advanced Fellowship project will be applied to masonry arch bridges. This will allow for the first time explicit limit analysis modelling of the interaction between masonry, backfill and retrofitted reinforced concrete slab elements, if present. Extensive databases of arch bridge soil-structure pressure data will be used to compare with the limit analysis results. A particularly novel aspect of the project is that, for cases where a bridge is found to be incapable of sustaining a given applied load, design synthesis (or'layout optimisation') methods will then be applied in order to identify the optimal locations of strengthening elements; this technology can also potentially be applied to the strengthening of many other structural forms.
Key Findings
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Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.shef.ac.uk