Galindo-type Arch Bridges: A Conceptual Approach.

The structural behaviour of an arch bridge extends from the original vertical plane to a three- dimensional configuration when the curvature of the deck increases, and a so-called spatial arch bridge is obtained. To resist the new out-of-plane loads, new structural systems that remain inactive for plane arch bridges are now ‘activated’. Firstly, this paper shows how some already built bridges have dealt with this problem.

In other cases, the horizontally curved deck is supported by a curved warped arch whose plan projection and deck both coincide. Their structural response is qualitatively analysed, and the solution of the Bridge over the River Galindo [1] is shown, where a curved deck is linked to an upper arch, with the same plan projection, by two sets of hangers, one attached to its axis and the other to its inner edge. This bridge is the first one in which this solution has been built.