Theory and Design of Reinforced Concrete Arches by Arvid Reuterdahl is subtitled A Treatise for Engineers and Technical Students. The Myron C. Clark Publishing Co. issued the book in Chicago and New York in 1908. Its title page identifies the author with the bridge department of the engineering department of the City of Spokane, Washington.
Making elastic-arch analysis accessible
In the preface, Reuterdahl describes elastic-arch analysis as a difficult part of bridge design. He aims to explain graphical methods in enough detail to help readers approach the mathematical analysis. Each principle used in the graphical treatment is therefore given attention.
The book is arranged around three substantial chapters: theory of the elastic arch, design of a reinforced-concrete arch and calculation of fiber stresses. The contents set out many intermediate topics, allowing a reader to follow the stages within each larger problem.
This is an engineering study rather than a collection of simple building projects. Its value for a practical reference library lies in preserving the reasoning, diagrams and calculation methods used in an early period of reinforced-concrete bridge development.
Forces, deformation and equilibrium
The first chapter addresses force factors, deformation caused by bending moments, stresses in steel and concrete, and assumptions about the fundamental equations. It also considers conditions for fixed and hinged arches and the position of the neutral axis.
Graphical material includes rays, equilibrium polygons and pressure curves. Reuterdahl uses these constructions to connect the loading of the arch with the reactions and internal forces that must be determined. The terminology is part of the historical method and is explained within that sequence.
The contents also identify fiber-stress equations and bending, shearing and normal-force relationships. These topics show why the arch cannot be understood only as a curved beam of a convenient shape. Restraint, geometry and the placement of loads influence the analysis.
Temperature and the constrained arch
Temperature appears within the theoretical treatment, including effects of a change in temperature, changes in span length and horizontal thrust. The chapter distinguishes temperature effects from the effects of applied loading.
For a reader comparing historical design approaches, this is a useful reminder of the range of conditions considered by the author. The treatment records a particular analytical framework with its own assumptions. It should be interpreted as such, rather than taken as a complete list of conditions for a modern bridge.
Designing a reinforced-concrete arch
The second chapter moves into design, beginning with railway and highway bridge loading and the proportioning of an arch. It considers arch thickness, trial-arch construction, neutral-axis location, reinforcement and the properties of concrete.
The work develops both graphical and mathematical procedures. Listed subjects include the design of an arch ring for a highway bridge, pressure curves, construction of equilibrium polygons and determination of a true closing line. Tables accompany the calculations.
These examples make the book particularly useful to someone examining the history of engineering calculation. They show a chain of decisions and intermediate results instead of merely presenting a final dimension. Reading the steps together is essential to understanding the example.
Fiber stresses and reinforcement
The third chapter returns to fiber stresses in concrete and steel. The contents include variations due to temperature, moments, thrusts and shears, along with combined stresses. The later material addresses ribbed-bar reinforcement and reinforcement splices.
Diagrams, equations and tables carry much of the argument. They need to be viewed at a readable scale, especially where symbols distinguish related quantities. The book concludes with a bibliography that situates its treatment within the technical literature of its time.
Audience and digital edition
This free ebook is most suitable for civil-engineering historians, technically prepared students and readers researching early bridge analysis. It is not a present-day bridge-design specification. New structural work requires current standards, appropriate site information and professional engineering assessment.
The PDF contains 141 digital pages, including preliminary and blank pages. It is an image-based scan that preserves the original typography and drawings. Visual browsing works better than text searching, and precise equations or small numerical entries should be checked directly against the scanned image.
Book details
- Author: Arvid Reuterdahl
- Publisher: The Myron C. Clark Publishing Co., Chicago and New York
- Year: 1908
- Edition: No numbered edition stated
- Digital length: 141 PDF pages
- Language: English
- File size: 3.43 MB
