Influence of the wall shape on the collapse of arch-wall systems

Masonry arches are one of the most commonly found architectural element in historical constructions. Over the centuries, arches have been widely used in buildings, connected to some overlying wall, as well as in bridges where they constitute the main part of the structural system together with the filling material and spandrel walls. The aim of our contribution is to determine the stress levels within the arch as a function of the system’s main geometrical and mechanical parameters, and thereby assess the safety margin under conditions of incipient collapse. The study has been conducted using two different complementary methods: an expressly developed extension of Durand-Claye’s stability area method and the nonlinear elastic analysis.