A pre-study of the static behaviour of a single diagonal timber arch bridge

Sammanfattning: The aim of this thesis is to study and gain more insight about the static behaviour of the three hinged single diagonal timber arch bridge in different situations. The bridge was tested for static analyses for both Ultimate Limit State and Serviceability Limit State, to investigate its behaviour and if it is possible to be built at the selected location. Furthermore, the dimensions of the elements are to be determined. Pre-studies on similar bridges have been done and their problems have been taken into account when analysing the behaviour of this bridge. Thereafter, two different designs have been constructed. The finite element software RFEM has been used in this project to be able to analyse the behaviour of the two different models. The in-plane buckling of the arch is the most critical part of the bridge and the bridge should therefore be designed regarding that. Additionally, different alternatives were suggested to reduce the deformation of the deck in the models. Finally, an optimized model is reached which consists of longitudinal beams and has an arch with a wide cross section.