Structural Analysis of Historic Masonries

Abstract

Several historic masonries have experienced severe damage and collapse due to lack of proper design and maintenance. Understanding of their behavior is essential for their survival. Multi-leaf walls, a special case that is often encountered in historic masonries, need special attention due to the complex geometry and its weak inner leaf. The behavior of historic masonries when subjected to different static load is investigated. An isolated multi-leaf wall is modeled using the finite element method. Multiple cases, varying the properties of the materials of the multi-leaf wall and loading conditions, are analyzed considering linear elastic behavior of the materials. It is found that the properties of the multi-leaf walls and the loads applied affect considerably the response of the structure.