Introduction. The results of research and developments on supplementing the methodology for calculating corrugated metal bridge structures on highways, taking into account the actual conditions of fastening structures to the foundation, are presented. Structures in the form of a semicircular arch with spans of 8 – 18 m, which are most suitable for use in return small bridges with typical massive structures, are considered.
Problem Statement. The current regulatory and methodological documents regarding the use of road structures made of corrugated metal, which are quite efficient in terms of their technical and economic indicators, are insufficiently comprehensive and imperfect, complicating the design of such structures, particularly calculations, and do not promote their implementation in highway construction practice. The is especially true for arch bridges with spans over 8 meters, for the design of which the existing standards contain almost nothing, especially in terms of calculations.
Purpose. The development of proposals for improving the relevant regulatory framework, supplementing the methodology for analytical calculation of bridge structures, particular arch bridges, taking into account the specifics of support node designs, in the goal and objective of this work.
Research methods and results. The methodological basis of the work is calculation-theoretical research with numerical modeling using the finite element method (FEM) for the development of supplements to analytical calculation methods for arch systems, and analysis of the interaction of flexible corrugated metal arch structures with the soil of road embankments. For the calculation of structures considering the conditions of fastening the structures to the foundation, whose calculation scheme is a two-hinged arch, the obtained data on the distribution of bending moment and axial force in the arch sections depending on the uniformly distributed vertical load along the span and its radius are presented. The possibility and convenience of using influence lines of forces and arch deflection for practical calculations are shown. Standard influence lines are provided for arches of different radius and corrugation shapes, along with a numerical example of the calculation.
Conclusions. Proposals have been made to supplement the analytical calculation of the structures considered, taking into account the actual conditions of fastening the structures to the foundation. The possibility of developing a practical calculation method for corrugated metal bridge structures within the generally accepted principles of structural statics and soil mechanics, using well-known methods of construction mechanics and simple, understandable calculation schemes, has been demonstrated.
