Experimental Characterization and Numerical Investigation on the Azzone Visconti Bridge in Lecco (Italy)

The paper presents the results of a numerical investigation on the Azzone Visconti Bridge in Lecco (Italy). Starting from the historical data and from an extensive mechanical characterization of both the soil constituting the riverbed and of the masonry constituting the piers, the aim of the analyses is to predict the behaviour of the structure under the testing loading scheme prescribed by the current Italian Code. A finite element structural model has been conceived, and three different models describing the mechanical behaviour of the foundation have been implemented. Limited differences are observed in terms of absolute vertical settlement of the bridge, but important effects are highlighted in terms of stress redistribution within the piers.