Keywords: existing buildings, masonry, modeling criteria, numerical methods, seismic assessment

ABSTRACT

Masonry buildings represent a substantial portion of the architectural, historical and cultural heritage. Therefore, it is necessary to implement strategies to preserve them to future generations.

To this scope, an important role is assigned to numerical methods, for simulating the seismic performance of existing masonry buildings, with the aim also of designing appropriate interventions. Among these methods, linear and nonlinear analyses allow us to assess the structural behavior and to study the influence of the main parameters governing the local and global mechanisms.

In this work, a preliminary recognition of the studies published in literature is conducted, in order to compare the results obtained through linear and more accurate nonlinear approaches. Therefore, the standards modeling criteria on masonry buildings are investigated, and their application on a case study is performed, with the purpose of highlighting critical issues and proposing possible developments.