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Simplified numerical approach for the structural analysis of monumental historical aggregates: the case study of Certosa di Calci

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Abstract

Monumental historical buildings are worldwide recognized as a fundamental component of the World Cultural Heritage to be preserved for future generations. Their structural performance analysis needs to face challenging issues such as the usually limited initial knowledge, the generally large dimensions, and the great structural complexity coming from overlapped construction phases over centuries. The structural behavior of historical constructions, therefore, differs from ordinary buildings, since resulting from the interaction of different parts, recognizable as ‘structural units’. A methodology accounting for all the peculiarities of monumental masonry buildings is proposed with reference to the specific case study of La Certosa di Calci (Italy). The monumental cluster is ideally decomposed into its structural units based on a preliminary knowledge phase, allowing to perform detailed structural analyses only on selected areas without resorting to a cumbersome and time demanding global model. The aggregate-effect influence over the structural behavior of a single unit is investigated by means of nonlinear analysis performed on different configurations. Achieved results are accurately analyzed, finally proposing a simplified model where one structural unit is represented through a FEM model and the interaction effects due to the adjacent portions are simulated through a calibrated spring system.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Pisa University and to the Superintendence BAPSAE of Pisa and Livorno for supporting and encouraging this research. The authors would like to thank all the research teams who have collaborated in the framework of the project "Studi conoscitivi e ricerche per la conservazione e la valorizzazione del Complesso della Certosa di Calci e dei suoi Poli Museali" promoted by the Pisa University. In particular, the authors’ gratitude goes to Prof. M.G. Bevilacqua and his research team (the ASTRO laboratory) for the execution of the Laser Scanner survey, Prof. A. De Falco and her co-workers for the elaboration of the point clouds in CAD environment, for the experimental tests performed on chains and for the collaboration during the in-situ investigations. A special thank is also given to the expert technicians of the Laboratorio Ufficiale per le Esperienze sui Materiali da Costruzione of Pisa University for the execution of experimental investigations. Finally, the authors’ gratitude goes to Guglielmo Giambartolomei for providing the aerial photo of the Certosa di Calci.

Funding

Partial financial support was received by the Pisa University in the framework of the project "Studi conoscitivi e ricerche per la conservazione e la valorizzazione del Complesso della Certosa di Calci e dei suoi Poli Museali".

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  1. Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering (DICI), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Irene Puncello & Silvia Caprili

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DCEE), Polytechnic University of Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

    Pere Roca

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  1. Irene Puncello
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Puncello, I., Caprili, S. & Roca, P. Simplified numerical approach for the structural analysis of monumental historical aggregates: the case study of Certosa di Calci. Bull Earthquake Eng 20, 5269–5300 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-022-01397-w

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