Ayvalikemer (Sillyon) historical masonry arch bridge: a multidisciplinary approach for structural assessment using point cloud data obtained by terrestrial laser scanning (TLS)

Historical structures are cultural heritage constituents that convey the traces and characteristic features of civilizations to the present days. One of these structures, which are among the monumental artefacts, are historical bridges. To protect historical buildings, 3D photogrammetric documentation of these structures, detailed determination of geometric and material properties and performing computer-aided structural analysis using appropriate modelling techniques are very important. The aim of this study is to present an effective, reliable, and fast multidisciplinary approach for the analysis of historical masonry bridges. The aforementioned approach is presented as an example for the behavior of the recently restored historical Ayvalikemer (Sillyon) masonry arch bridge under possible loadings. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) was used to determine the bridge geometry with high accuracy. The point cloud data obtained from TLS was simplified and a three-dimensional CAD based solid model of the structure was created. This solid body has been formed the basis of the macro model for structural analysis. CDP material model was used to describe the inelastic behavior of homogenized structure. Thus, an analysis was carried out which presents the structural behavior of a historical bridge with high accuracy and reliability.