Tensile restrained arches (Zugversteifte Bogentragwerke)

Development of the tensile restrained arch from its simple rudimentary beginnings into one of the most important structural elements in wide-span space enclosures takes place in two steps. Their first significant application occurred in the realisation of the impressive wide-span iron structures of the early generation of railway stations in the middle of 19th Century followed by a later revival and further development of the technology over a broader area of application by the end of the 20th Century. New high strength materials and precision analysis of the geometrical non-linear behaviour of slender arches afforded by new FEM tools facilitated a growing number of alternative variations of tensile restrained arch. An historical overview, a summary of the currently known systems in a typological classification and a comparative numerical study of these systems will provide an overview of the current diversity of technologies and opportunities for further applications and improvements to their design.