Scour aprons remain the most effective way to prevent undermining of a bridge structure by hindering the water from directly eroding the foundations.
Category Archives: Maintenance
Widening a Stone Arch Bridge
While many historic stone arch bridges are too narrow by modern traffic standards, there are several viable ways to non-destructively widen them.
Waterline Deterioration: The Achilles Heel of Limestone Bridges
The weakest point of a stone arch bridge of limestone is the waterline masonry, for it is prone to disintegrating in water.
Wingwalls: Importance and Repair
Wingwalls can be important to a stone arch bridge’s structural integrity. While easily damaged, numerous ways to repair or replace them exist.
Deteriorated Stones in a Bridge
Deteriorated stones in a stone arch bridge are almost inevitably a sign of water infiltrating into the structure and needs to be taken seriously.
3 Ways to Prevent Scour
There are several way to prevent scour, which is the worst enemy of stone arch bridges with shallow foundations as is common.
A Stone Arch Bridge’s Weight-Handling Abilities
The amount of weight a stone arch bridge can handle is related to a variety of factors including span, arch thickness, condition and more.
Distorted Arches
While a distorted arch in a stone bridge is not always a problem, it often points to an underlying serious trouble elsewhere within the structure.
The Life of a Stone Arch Bridge
The length of time a stone arch bridge lasts is directly related the workmanship and foundations, with various treatments extending the bridge’s life.
On Spandrel Walls
The spandrel walls hold the fill of a stone arch bridge, and need to be correctly engineered to do so without gradually bulging and failing.
