Mechanical Performance of Corrugated Steel−Concrete Composite Structures: An Experimental Study on Arch Bridges

Abstract

Corrugated steel arch bridges have been extensively employed in transportation infrastructure owing to their favorable mechanical performance and construction effi Corrugated steel arch bridges are widely used in transportation infrastructure but suffer from stress concentration and excessive deformation under heavy and eccentric loads. To address these limitations, this study proposes a corrugated steel−concrete composite arch bridge system incorporating a concrete protective arch. Based on a representative engineering project, in situ static load tests were conducted under two loading schemes, and a finite element model was developed using Abaqus to evaluate the mechanical performance of the composite structure. The results demonstrate that the concrete protective arch significantly enhances structural stiffness, reducing the maximum crown deflection by 44.2%, the maximum negative bending moment by 49.7%, and the maximum axial force by over 30% compared with the conventional corrugated steel arch. The numerical predictions agree well with the field measurements, with displacement and strain distribution trends consistent between the two approaches. It should be noted that the conclusions are drawn from static loading tests only; further validation under dynamic and fatigue loading is required. The findings provide a theoretical basis and engineering reference for the design and construction of corrugated steel−concrete composite arch bridges.