In this paper a brief analysis of the most common masonry construction techniques in historical buildings and their evolution over the centuries is conducted. Through the criti-cal interpretation of the technical literature, it is possible to identify the main orientations de-rived from historical treatises that allow to recognize well-executed vertical structures. For these masonry walls a theory aimed at evaluating the structural behavior is formulated. This theory is rigorous and at the same time flexible enough to be applied to different types of con-structions. Based on the limit analysis, it uses Heyman’s assumptions (masonry has no tensile strength, infinite strength to compression, infinite friction coefficient), and it allows to deter-mine the equilibrium configurations of masonry walls through a relatively simple computa-tional procedure. A multi-bodies model, which consists in a set of rigid blocks connected by bilateral and unilateral constraints, is presented for the analysis of walls. Given the values of settlements, geometry and external loads, it is possible to obtain the unknown generalized displacements of each block by the use of the principle of minimum energy. A simple applica-tion to a case study is also presented.

Masonry walls between art and science: historical building techniques and structural analysis according to Heyman's assumptions

DE GUGLIELMO, FABIO;ANGELILLO, Maurizio;RIBERA, Federica
2014-01-01

Abstract

In this paper a brief analysis of the most common masonry construction techniques in historical buildings and their evolution over the centuries is conducted. Through the criti-cal interpretation of the technical literature, it is possible to identify the main orientations de-rived from historical treatises that allow to recognize well-executed vertical structures. For these masonry walls a theory aimed at evaluating the structural behavior is formulated. This theory is rigorous and at the same time flexible enough to be applied to different types of con-structions. Based on the limit analysis, it uses Heyman’s assumptions (masonry has no tensile strength, infinite strength to compression, infinite friction coefficient), and it allows to deter-mine the equilibrium configurations of masonry walls through a relatively simple computa-tional procedure. A multi-bodies model, which consists in a set of rigid blocks connected by bilateral and unilateral constraints, is presented for the analysis of walls. Given the values of settlements, geometry and external loads, it is possible to obtain the unknown generalized displacements of each block by the use of the principle of minimum energy. A simple applica-tion to a case study is also presented.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11386/4541457
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