Numerical analysis of historical constructions

Abstract

All European countries are rich of monumental buildings and there is a considerable amount of existing residential masonry buildings in rural areas. It is frequent that old historical masonry structures present significant level of damage and must be repaired. In fact, conservation, rehabilitation and strengthening of the built heritage and protection of human lives are clear demands of modern societies [1]. This requires the identification of deficiencies and of damage of existing structures and appropriate intervention techniques. Numerical modelling of masonry structures is an important tool for evaluation of damage extent and a basis for a decision about the design of appropriate remedial measures.
The paper addresses the scope of numerical analysis of ancient masonry structures. The numerical modelling intends to assess the stability conditions of the salient elements of the façade of the Cathedral of Porto dated from the middle of 12th century. Although no important visible cracking is present, the deep decay of the granite stone and corrosion of steel bars that connect the stone pieces can induce stability problems of the local salient elements of the façade. The numerical modelling is performed with the help of a commercial finite element software program DIANA.