Testing methods for the assessment of material properties in historical masonry structures: a review

Abstract

The current state of testing methods for assessing the mechanical properties of old masonry buildings is reviewed, with a focus on the methods adapted for heritage structures. For these buildings, an accurate assessment is needed in order to minimise the interventions extent while ensuring an adequate structural safety level. As old masonries are non-homogenous and exhibit a highly anisotropic behaviour, numerous parameters are required for correctly simulating the behaviour under a given load scenario. In earthquake-prone areas, numerous failure patterns, in-plane and out-of-plane, can occur for the structural walls, each of them depending on different characteristics of the material. If for new masonries the testing procedures are standardised, for old buildings less standardised tests exist, while investigations are often based on modified or empiric methods. The testing methods can be classified as destructive, minor destructive and non-destructive. The destructive methods are the most precise but are extremely intrusive and may not be acceptable for heritage listed buildings. The non-destructive methods mostly provide qualitative results. The minor-destructive tests are often the most adapted for the study of historical buildings, as they can provide relevant information while affecting only in a limited extent the existing elements.