Lateral loads carrying capacity and minimum thickness of circular and pointed masonry arches

•A numerical iterative procedure for the collapse analysis of circular and pointed masonry arches is developed.•Some classes of collapse mechanisms of pointed arches are identified, depending on the geometrical parameters.•Minimum thickness for circular and pointed arches is evaluated in presence of vertical and horizontal loads.•A probabilistic sensitivity analysis on the lateral load multiplier is carried out by varying the geometrical parameters of the circular and pointed arch.

This paper aims to evaluate the limit equilibrium condition and the minimum thickness of masonry arches in presence of horizontal loads. The analysis fits into the frame of limit analysis referring to Heyman's theory. Two types of arches are analysed, the circular and pointed one. The loading system consists of vertical and horizontal loads, which refer respectively to the self-weight of the voussoirs and to the seismic actions. The collapse mechanism and the corresponding horizontal load multiplier are determined, in the condition of rigid abutments, as functions of the geometrical features of the structure. The results are supported by some simple experimental tests and a sensitivity analysis, which considers the effect of geometrical irregularities on the load multiplier.