Explicit solutions for depressed masonry arches loaded until collapse—Part I: a one-dimensional nonlinear elastic model

In this paper the equilibrium problem for masonry arches is formulated in terms of a suitable set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. We show that by making a small number of simple hypotheses it is possible to find the explicit expressions for the displacements and rotations of the cross-sections of an in-plane loaded masonry arch. To this end, the masonry arch is schematised as a curved, one-dimensional nonlinear elastic beam made of a material that is by hypothesis incapable of withstanding significant tensile stresses. In this first part of the two-part paper, the one-dimensional model and the explicit expressions for the displacements and rotations, obtained by integrating the set of differential equations, are presented. In particular, the formal expressions for displacement, stress and strain fields are illustrated in full detail for an explicit, albeit approximate, solution for a statically determinate depressed arch subjected to a uniform vertical load.