Structural and stress analysis of the Ironbridge

SEBE students have undertaken analysis of the design of the bridge at Ironbridge, Telford.

Plot of deflection under load of the bridge at Ironbridge

Arch bridge design and construction involves many challenges, including increasingly the demand for improved safety standards along with  more efficient designs and construction practices. 

The investigation involved using the finite element method of analysis to study the structural stability and stress states of the iron bridge at Ironbridge, situated in Coalbrookdale, Telford. A finite element model of the bridge was built using data from a 3-D CAD model of the bridge obtained from English Heritage.

The results of the analysis showed that the bridge is a very conservative structure in terms of its stability and safety. The bridge components – circles and ogees, which in the past have been thought to be decorative were proved to be of structural importance.

Local models of joints were modelled to study detailed effects. The results of the investigation were compared with photographs of  existing fractures on the Bridge to validate the use of the finite element method for the analysis. The results suggest that the excessive decorations and the poor surface finishing of the bridge components  during manufacture are the cause of most of the fractures the bridge has experienced in the past.