Thermography Investigation and Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of a Historical Vaulted Masonry Building

Abstract

Typically, historical masonry constructions were only designed due to gravity loads. The structural detailing, aimed at improving the seismic performance, was introduced thanks to the advancement in performance-based seismic design approaches in recent decades. In this context, the vaults play a key role. Depending on the construction technology, material, shape and constraints, the vault can modify the load patterns both in static and/or dynamic conditions. Furthermore, in heritage buildings, the possible presence of frescos or decorations increase the difficulties in assessing the technological nature of the vault. Non-destructive in situ investigation techniques, such as thermography, can be a powerful tool to improve the level of knowledge with respect to structural detailing and increase the prediction capability of the numerical model. The present paper discusses the results of a large thermography campaign performed in a cultural masonry building located in the south of Italy. The extensive investigation was aimed at identifying the typologies of vaults covered by worth frescos. This peculiarity was considered in the structural analysis in order to investigate the influence of the vault typology, in terms of plan stiffness versus the global seismic vulnerability. The outcomes demonstrated that thermography was decisive in improving the level of knowledge and obtaining a more reliable prediction of the seismic response.