Engineering of a contemporary version of the stone arches of the "Pont des Trous" in Tournai

As part of the works on the Seine-Scheldt link, the Scheldt is to be expanded to CEMT class Va at the Tournai crossing. The main works comprise the widening of the Scheldt river and the central arch of the historic bridge called “Pont des Trous” – “Bridge of the Holes”. The choice of replacing the bridge has gone to a triple arch in stone masonry with a main span of 20 m for a height of 15 m and a thickness of 40 cm, closer from a sculpture. Due to its very small thickness and corresponding self-weight, accurate estimation, with wind tunnel tests by University of Liège, of the wind effects is of utmost importance for the verification of masonry and especially the joints openings. Nonlinear finite element calculations considering cracking and opening of joints, using Finelg software, show that the joints should be glued to ensure the stability. Finally, by political decision, this triple arch project was abandoned and replaced by a more conventional structure.

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