CHAPTER XVII – RIGID ARCHES

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the rigid arches. Beams which are curved are frequently used in engineering, particularly in roof work and bridges; in such cases they are usually called arches or “arched ribs”. In general the applied loads may have any direction, but they are most commonly vertical, the arch having a vertical axis of symmetry. There are three main types of arch to consider: arches with hinges at the abutments and the crown, arches with hinges only at the abutments, and arches with no hinges at all. The first type can be dealt with by the methods of statics.