In-plane stability behavior and application of parabolic arches under pure compression

This paper presents the in-plane inelastic stability analysis and design procedure of steel parabolic arch subjected to vertical load uniformly distributed on a horizontal projection.Material inelasticity,residual stresses,initial geometric crookedness,rise-to-span ratios,and supports condition are considered in the analysis.The unified stability design curves of rolled circular tubes,welded I-sections,and welded box sections steel parabolic arch are obtained by employing a normalized slenderness reflecting the influences of different boundary conditions.The proposed curves can be directly used in practical design of parabolic arches in pure compression.