UNIVERSITI

TEKNOLOGI MARA SEMESTER:OKTOBER 2022 - FEBRUARI 2023

KAMPUS PULAU PINANG

CES511: STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY

LAB REPORT
LAB EXPERIMENT:
LEVEL OF OPENNESS 1 DATE 20/10/2022
LECTURER Ts. Dr. MOHD SAMSUDIN BIN ABDUL HAMID GROUP PEC2215B1

Instruction to Students (Reminder)

Lab report must be prepared after conducting a lab. Two (2) weeks duration is given for lab report (COMPILE) submission. Any plagiarism
found or not properly cited and late submission, the group will be penalized and marks will be deducted.
CO1: Analyze results of the experimental work and theoretical solutions to CO3: Conduct and perform experiments effectively as an
validate findings in providing justifiable conclusion to solve structural engineering individual and as a member in a team
problems
PO2: Ability to identify, formulate, research literature and analyze complex civil PO9: Ability to function effectively as an individual, and
engineering problems in reaching substantiated conclusions using principles of as a member or leader in diverse teams and in multi-
mathematics, natural sciences and engineering knowledge. disciplinary settings.

CRITERIA
NO. STUDENT ID STUDENT NAME PO 1 2 3 4 TOTAL
PO2
1. 2021868526 ALLICIA BRITNEY PUDANG
PO9
PO2
2. 2021601482 NOOR AMIERA AINA BINTI SHAHRIN
PO9
PO2
3. 2021492396 NUR AMIRAH BINTI ABDUL HASRAYMI
PO9
PO2
4. 2021468542 NUR ARIFAH BINTI KAMAL DIN
PO9
PO2
5.
PO9

CRITERIA OF ASSESSMENT LEVEL OF OPENNESS

NO.
(CO1, PO2) (1) (2) (3)
Planning
1
(Materials, Design & Method)
2 Procedure
3 Analysis & Interpretation of Data 1-5
4 Discussion of Results & Conclusion 1-5

CRITERIA OF ASSESSMENT LEVEL OF OPENNESS

NO.
(CO3, PO9) (1) (2) (3)
1 Commitment 1-5
2 Participation 1-5
3 Responsibility 1-5
4 Problem Solving 1-5
Endorsed by:

COURSE COORDINATOR & RESOURCES PERSON

NOOR SYAFEEKHA MOHAMAD SAKDUN
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1

2.0 OBJECTIVE .............................................................................................................. 1

3.0 APPARATUS ............................................................................................................ 2

4.0 PROCEDURES ......................................................................................................... 3

5.0 RESULT .................................................................................................................... 4

5.1 DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................................... 5

6.0 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................ 6

7.0 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 7

8.0 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 8

9.0 APPENDIX ................................................................................................................ 9

1.0 INTRODUCTION

An arch may be looked upon as a curved girder, either a solid rib or braced, supported
at its ends and carrying transverse loads which are frequently vertical. Since the transverse
loading at any section normal to the axis of the girder is at an angle to the normal face, an
arch is subjected to three restraining forces: thrust, shear force and bending moment.
Depending upon the number of hinges, arches may be divided into four classes which is three-
hinged arch, two-hinged arch, single-hinged arch and fixed arch (hingeless arch). A typical
three-hinged arch is shown in Figure 1. A three-hinged arch is statically determinate structures
while the rest three arches are statically indeterminate. In bridge construction, especially in
railroad bridges, the more used arches are two-hinged and the fixed end one.

Figure 1.0: Three-hinged Arch

2.0 OBJECTIVE

The objective of this experimental work is to study three-hinged arch for the horizontal
thrust of the roller end for a given system of loading and to compare the same with those
obtained analytically.

1
3.0 APPARATUS

Below shows the apparatus used in order to conduct the experiment of three-hinged
arch.

Figure 2.0: Three-Hinged Arch Apparatus

i. Three-hinged arch apparatus - pinned support, roller support,

ii. Load

iii. Load hanger

iv. Digital Indicator

2
4.0 PROCEDURES

These are the procedures to conduct the experiment of three-hinged arch.

i. Both simple support and roller support are fixed to the support frame at a distance
equals to the span of the arch which is 1000 mm.
ii. The indicator is turned on and “tare” button is pressed on to ensure the value is ZERO.
iii. The length and span of the arch is measured using a ruler.
iv. The thickness, and width of the arch is measured using a digital clipper.
v. A load is placed on the load hanger at the selected point load. The distance of the point
load from the pinned support is measured and recorded.
vi. The reading appeared at the screen of the digital indicator is recorded. The reading is
made sure to be stabled before it can be recorded.
vii. The experiment is repeated 10 times by adding 5 N of applied load each time of the
experiments.
viii. The above procedures are repeated in order to obtain the second reading of the
experiment. Average reading of the horizontal thrust is calculated and tabulated.

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5.0 RESULT

Below shows the specification of three-hinged arch and the result collected for the
experiment.

Table 1.0: Specification of Three-hinged Arch

Span of arch = 1000 mm

Thickness of arch = 228.34 mm
Width of arch = 261.26 mm
Distance of the load from the pinned support = 375 mm
Height of arch = 240 mm

Table 2.0: Results of Experimental and Theoretical Horizontal Thrust

Horizontal Thrust (N)

Load, W Experimental
Theoretical
Test 1 Test 2 Average
5 4.20 4.40 4.30 3.91
10 8.40 8.70 8.55 7.81
15 12.70 12.90 12.80 11.72
20 17.00 17.20 17.10 15.63
25 21.20 21.50 21.35 19.53
30 26.00 25.40 25.70 23.44
35 30.30 29.70 30.00 27.34
40 34.70 33.90 34.30 31.25
45 39.10 38.30 38.70 35.16
50 43.30 42.80 43.05 39.06

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5.1 DATA ANALYSIS

Attached below is a graph of horizontal thrust versus load obtained from experimental
and theoretical values.

Horizontal Thrust vs Load

50.00
45.00
HORIZONTAL THRUST (N)

43.05
40.00
38.70
35.00 36.06
34.30
32.45
30.00 30.00 28.85
25.00 25.70 25.24
21.35 21.63
20.00
17.10 18.03
15.00 14.42
12.80
10.00 10.82
8.55
7.21
5.00 4.30
3.61
0.00
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
LOAD (N)
Experimental Theoretical

Figure 3.0: Graph of Horizontal Thrust versus Load

Below is a table of percentage error calculated for each applied load.

Table 3.0: Percentage Error for Each Applied Load

Load, W Percentage error (%)

5 9.97
10 9.47
15 9.22
20 9.40
25 9.32
30 9.64
35 9.73
40 9.76
45 10.07
50 10.22

5
6.0 DISCUSSION
The experiment of three-hinged arch has been conducted accordance to the
procedures stated above, in order to determine the horizontal thrust of the roller end
(experimental value) and to compare the theoretical and experimental obtained values. All
data obtained is recorded and tabulated for further data analysis. Based on the experiment
conducted, the values of horizontal thrust for experimental and theoretical are different.
Experimental values have a slightly higher value compared to the one that has been calculated
which is the theoretical values. Based on the data collected, a graph of horizontal thrust versus
load has been plotted for both experimental and theoretical values in order to study the
relationship between both values. The graph shown that applied load is directly proportional
to the horizontal thrust for both experimental and theoretical. Equation 1 is used to obtain the
theoretical value of horizontal thrust.

𝑾𝒌𝑳
𝑯𝑨 = (Eq. 1)
𝟐𝒉

Equation 2 is used to check the accuracy of the experimental result with respect to
theoretical value.

𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 − 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥
Percentage error =|
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥
|× 𝟏𝟎𝟎% (Eq. 2)

Before conducting the experimental work, some precautions are needed to be

considered in order to ensure the experiment conducted to progress smoothly and able to
obtain the most accurate value. The apparatus needs to be checked before conducting the
experiment to ensure the apparatus is in a good and stable condition. Each procedure needs
to be conducted carefully to avoid any error that can contribute to inaccurate result. In any
experimental work or laboratory test, it is a must to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
such as lab jacket and safety shoes during conducting the experimental work.

6
7.0 CONCLUSION

To deduce the whole experimental work of three-hinged arch, the experiment has been
conducted in accordance to the procedures given. From there, data such as applied load,
horizontal thrust, span of arch, thickness of arch, width of arch, height of crown, and distance
of the load from the pinned support are recorded. Theoretical value of horizontal thrust for
each of the load applied is calculated and tabulated as well. Then, the value of experimental
and theoretical horizontal thrust is compared and a graph is plotted to show the relationship
of both obtained values.

From the result, the relationship between the horizontal thrust and applied load can
be determined is the higher the load applied, the higher the horizontal thrust obtained. From
the graph, it shown that the load is directly proportional to the horizontal thrust. By that, the
objective of this experiment is achieved which is to study three-hinged arch for the horizontal
thrust of the roller end for a given system of loading and to compare the same with those
obtained analytically.

In structure engineering, three-hinged arch can be applied for bridges, mainly. This is
due to the arch itself is a geometrically stable and a determinate structure. Since the hinge at
the crown is always at zero moment value, there is no bending moment acted at the particular
area. This can help in reducing stresses due to the change in temperature that might cause
expansion or contraction of the structure (W. Lin & T. Yoda, 2017).

7
8.0 REFERENCES

MOHD SAMSUDIN ABDUL HAMID. (2020, October 14). THREE HINGED ARCH [Video].
YouTube. https://youtu.be/DKqqzz1rcA8

Laughlin, S. (2021). How to Calculate Percentage Error. HeyTutor.

https://heytutor.com/resources/blog/how-to-calculate-percentage-error/

Lin, W., & Yoda, T. (2017). Arch Bridges. ScienceDirect.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/hinged-
arch#:~:text=on%20the%20abutment.-
,The%20two%2Dhinged%20arch%20is%20most%20often%20used%20to%20bridge,of%20t
emperature%20and%20rib%20shortening.

Uzodimma, U. O. (2020). Analysis of Three-Hinged Arch Structures. Structville.

https://structville.com/2017/06/manual-structural-analysis-of-three-hinged-arch-
structures.html

(n.d.). How to calculate hinged support, normal thrust and shear of a three hinged circular
arch. CONSTRUCTION COST. https://www.constructioncost.co/calculate-hinged-support-
normal-thrust-and-shear-of-a-three-hinged-circular-arch.html

8
9.0 APPENDIX

Measuring the thickness of arch Load is applied at Point Load 3

Reading shown on digital indicator More load applied at Point Load 3

9
 More load applied at Point Load 3 Overall view of load applied at Point Load 3
and reading shown on digital indicator

Sample calculation for theoretical horizontal thrust:

𝑊𝑘𝐿
𝐻𝐴 =
2ℎ

i) Applied Load = 5 N

(5)(0.375)
H = (2)(0.24)

= 3.91 N

Sample calculation for percentage error:

Experimental − Theoretical
Percentage error =| | × 100%
Theoretical

4.30−3.91
=| | × 100%
3.91

= 9.97%

10