Abstract
A numerical approach is presented to assess the seismic vulnerability of barrel masonry vaults and evaluate the eectiveness of a traditional retrofitting intervention consisting in the reinforcement of the extrados. A linear elastic no–tension model is adopted to cope with the negligible strength in tension of ancient brick and stone masonry and perform a two–dimensional finite element analysis of arch–like sections. Instead of implementing conventional load history analysis or limit load analysis, the minimization of the relevant strain energy function is implemented to solve the non–linear equilibrium under the effect of dierent load scenarios. A segmental barrel vault made of stone masonry is investigated in an ancient building under static and seismic loads. The collapse load of the structural element is computed before and after the intervention and the reduction achieved in terms of seismic vulnerability is evaluated as prescribed by technical codes.
Highlights
Existing and historical buildings made of un–reinforced masonry are well–known for their potential vulnerability in earthquake–prone areas
Instead of implementing conventional incremental analysis or limit load analysis, the adopted energy–based method searches for the distribution of an “equivalent” orthotropic material such that the overall strain energy of the no– tension continuum is minimized. This allows handling the negligible strength in tension of brick and stone masonry and perform two–dimensional non–linear finite element analysis of arch–like sections of any geometry under the effect of different load scenarios
A segmental barrel vault made of stone masonry has been investigated in an ancient building under static and seismic loads
Summary
Existing and historical buildings made of un–reinforced masonry are well–known for their potential vulnerability in earthquake–prone areas. Since the original work in [14], this method has been extensively adopted to investigate the structural behavior of brickwork and stonework at incipient collapse, see in particular the case of arches and vaults [13]. Among the approaches that are currently available to the analysis of masonry–like solids, the no–tension model allows for a preliminary description of the mechanical behavior of a structure based on the assumption that the stress tensor is negative semi–definite and depends linearly upon the elastic part of the strain, see e.g. It compares the no– tension linear elastic analysis with respect to the well–known Méry method [18], which can be conventionally employed in the assessment of the equilibrium of arches subject to vertical loads acting symmetrically on the structure.
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