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Three-hinged arches2D

Crown-hinge horizontal thrust

Solve reactions, horizontal thrust, section resultants, shape effects, and imposed-movement compatibility for determinate arches.

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Advanced engineering statics simulation

Three-Hinged Arch Engineering Suite

Reactions, crown thrust, section resultants, shape effects, and imposed-movement compatibility.

Enforce zero crown moment for a symmetric parabolic arch under a vertical UDL uniform over the horizontal projection.

Horizontal span
20.0 m
m
10.050.0

Drag for exploration or enter an exact value. Press Enter to apply and Escape to restore.

Arch rise
5.0 m
m
1.512.0

Drag for exploration or enter an exact value. Press Enter to apply and Escape to restore.

Vertical UDL per horizontal metre
12.0 kN/m
kN/m
0.540.0

Drag for exploration or enter an exact value. Press Enter to apply and Escape to restore.

Three-hinged arch equilibriumPin supports A and B plus the moment-releasing crown hinge C form a determinate system.ACBdownward w = 12 kN/m of horizontal projectionHHH = wL²/(8h) = 120.000 kN
Support vertical
120.000 kN
Horizontal thrust
120.000 kN
Parabolic moment residual
0.000000000 kN·m
funicular UDL residual verified

Concept question: Predict the horizontal thrust under the full-span vertical UDL.

Model scope and verification

Scope: Planar, equal-elevation, pin-connected three-hinged arch unless the imposed-movement scenario is selected. Normal force is positive in compression. A section coincident with the point load uses the explicitly selected left or right face. Circular comparison is restricted to a single-valued minor arc with h ≤ L/2. The UDL acts vertically and is uniform per horizontal metre.

Acceptance check: Solve the equivalent simply supported beam reactions, enforce zero crown moment for H, use M_arch = M_beam − Hy, draw the cut normal to the arch tangent, and reconstruct global section-force components from N and V.