ABSTRACT

Historic masonry vaults are one of the most vulnerable elements with respect to the seismic action. Cracks are often detected after post-earthquake surveys. However, it is difficult to link the observed damage directly to causes. Different mechanisms can occur during an earthquake, such as in-plane horizontal shear distortion or longitudinal opening/closing of the abutments [1]. These mechanisms are not necessarily associated to a specific crack pattern, since other factors are involved in the determination of the detected crack status. Among these factors, constructive aspects (brick pattern, boundary conditions) play a major role [2].

This study aims at investigating the possible correlation between constructive aspects and the crack pattern in barrel vaults subjected to in-plane shear mechanism. Numerical simulations are carried out on an ideal circular vault with a rectangular base of dimensions 3.1x5.3 m, and rise of 1.175 m. Three brick patterns are considered: radial, diagonal and vertical. Moreover, both confined and not confined vaults are taken into consideration. Specifically, in the confined vault the head arches are in contact with boundary arches. In order to investigate these aspects, a micro-modelling numerical approach has been adopted [3]. Results are presented in terms of ultimate displacement capacity, collapse mechanisms and crack pattern charts.

REFERENCES

1. [1]  Rossi M., Calderini C., Lagomarsino S. (2016) Experimental testing of the seismic in-plane displacement capacity of masonry cross vaults through a scale model. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 14: 261-281.

2. [2]  Alforno M., Venuti F., Monaco A. and Calderini C. (2021) Numerical investigation of the influence of constructive aspects on the structural behaviour of masonry cross vaults, International Journal of Architectural Heritage, DOI: 10.1080/15583058.2021.1992534

3. [3]  Alforno M., Monaco A., Venuti F., Calderini C. (2021) Validation of simplified micro-models for the static analysis of masonry arches and vaults. International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 15: 1196-1212.