Abstract
This paper focuses on the Murena Palace in Perugia, part of an architectural complex designed by Luigi Vanvitelli and completed by Carlo Murena in the 18th century. In the context of the seismic vulnerability assessment of this masonry building, the safety of a construction modulus, which gathers several peculiar features identified within the edifice, is analyzed by means of an integrated architectural-structural approach. This construction modulus, that will be called Vanvitelli’s Modulus, is characterized by an intrinsic structural asymmetry with clusters of rooms with masonry vaults, combining different heights, where load bearing walls are standing on top of the vaults. Given these peculiarities, this construction modulus has to be analyzed as a sub-structure with regards to the seismic vulnerability. To this purpose, experimental tests, in particular videoendoscopies and structural monitoring, were conducted to identify geometrical features of walls and vaults, mechanical characteristic of materials and the actual damage condition. From an accurate survey, an innovative parametric approach has been proposed to build the geometrical model of the construction modulus. This has been used, by FEM (finite element method), to perform a structural analysis whose results have been checked by comparison with the actual damage patterns. The proposed integrated architectural-structural approach permits a deeper comprehension of the structural principles that characterize Vanvitelli’s construction modulus and to estimate its seismic vulnerability.
Highlights
Owing to the earthquakes that affected central Italy in the last few years, the University of Perugia activated a research program aimed at the seismic safety assessment of the historic buildings that are managed by it
In the present present study, with reference to Murena Palace, the current headquarters of the University of Perugia study, with reference to Murena Palace, the current headquarters of the University of Perugia designed by the prominent Architect Luigi Vanvitelli, the authors have faced such issues focusing designed by the prominent Architect Luigi Vanvitelli, the authors have faced such issues focusing on on the seismic safety of a peculiar sub-structure observed during the survey within such ancient the seismic safety of a peculiar sub-structure observed during the survey within such ancient masonry building, Vanvitelli’s Modulus
Vanvitelli, to the fulfillment of its end use: this portion of the structure, that manifests itself in elevation as an asymmetrical section which includes the presence of a mezzanine floor and of bearing walls resting directly on the masonry vaults, anciently housed a former monastery with the monks’ cells and their corridors
Summary
Owing to the earthquakes that affected central Italy in the last few years, the University of Perugia activated a research program aimed at the seismic safety assessment of the historic buildings that are managed by it This activity involved its headquarters: the architectural complex of Murena Palace, Figure 1. A complete procedure, aimed at estimation of heritage structures, has tests, been considers its actual statethe (evaluated by vulnerability meansamong of survey, developed considering basic interactions the damage historicalassessment, knowledge,experimental the experimental developed considering theaccount basic interactions among theand historical the experimental monitoring) and takes into the safety under static seismic knowledge, loads. The presence of load bearing walls that, vertically located at higher floors, stand on vaults at the first floor represents an evident possibility of “domino-type progressive collapse” This aspect leads to introduce the theme of the robustness of this masonry structure typology and the conceiving of strengthening interventions to increase it. Such a structural feature avoids progressive collapse following the collapse of one of the building’s components, reacting instead with damages proportionate to the cause and limited to the failure area without triggering a knock-on effect
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