Buckling of parabolic arches with hangers and tie

This paper pertains to the critical load for two-hinged parabolic arches with hangers and tie. It was proved that the existence of hangers (vertical and especially slant) can lead to a significant increase of arch critical load and consequently to increase of arch capacity. It has also been shown that the convex distribution of ties (in relation to the horizontal tie) can often be very useful. The tabulated results presented in the paper allow to determine the effective (buckling) length of the arches. Furthermore, it has been noted that the recommendations of European Standard (Eurocode 3: EN 1993-2) concerning the buckling of parabolic arches with hangers and tie may quite frequently lead to unsafe design. The issues of buckling of arches presented in this paper have a practical aspect and, in author’s opinion, can find a direct application in design practice.

► The buckling length factors for arches with hangers and tie have been given. ► Stability analysis for arches with hangers and convex tie has been carried out. ► A numerical example for a parabolic arch with convex tie has been solved. ► A discussion of EN 1993-2 guidelines has been presented.