1,358,814 research outputs found
The rural architectonic heritage of the province of Mantua and the 2012 earthquake: Chronicle of a death foretold
No full textThe research concerns the study of the rural architectonic heritage in the Mantua province damaged by the seismic sequence started on May 2012. Within each investigated complex, the analysis starts with the identification of the main building, structural and material typologies and the reconstruction of the recursive interventions occurred in time. These preliminary steps are fundamental for the recognising of potential weaknesses affecting the seismic response. The rural heritage in the area is arranged around courtyards and is composed by different building types: the residential building, the stable, the “barchessa” for the storing of goods and animals, one of more small building for specific activity (e.g. warehouse, woodshed, etc.). Each building type has a specific function but also clear architectonic and structural layout. Furthermore, the agriculture recent evolution has involved changes in the use of the buildings and then, important building transformations. In particular, the agricultural machinery has required wider space but also a decreasing of the number of farmers. The result of the process is the partial or complete neglecting of several rural buildings. The following steps of the research involved a survey of selected case studies, some of them of meaningful historical and cultural importance; the study focused on the evaluation of the structural damage, recognising, when possible, the state of preservation before the earthquake, the common damage mechanism and the local vulnerabilities. The aim is both the catalogue the failures and the suggesting of possible interventions to reduce the seismic risks. This last item is strategic, bridging the safety requirements with the preservation issues respectful the historical architecture. Further observations involved the post seismic interventions for the safety of structure, some of them positive and other negative
Time evolution of the mechanical strength of lime mortars for the characterisation of ancient masonry
No full textThe knowledge of the mechanical properties of lime mortars is an important data for the evaluation of the masonry strength of heritage buildings. Nevertheless, the mechanical characterisation of sampled mortars is a challenging task due to the joint height or the state of preservation. Chemical analysis can give information about the binder, the aggregate origin, and eventually the binder/aggregate ratio. Thermal or chemical treatments allow the separation of the aggregate from the binder and the reconstruction of the grain size and distribution. Based on these information, new mortars were produced in order to evaluate the mechanical strength. The research explores the reproduction methods and curing timing as part of a wider research aimed at calibrating and comparing procedures for the characterisation of historic-masonry components and for the development of compatible repair materials
La diagnosi delle strutture storiche: una sfida per architetti
No full textLa diagnosi strutturale è un importante passo iniziale nella definizione di strategie di conservazione di un edificio storico; è tesa ad indirizzare le possibili opzioni - culturali e tecniche - per la conservazione e/o la riparazione dell'edificio stesso, valutandone lo stato di fatto della compagine materica e strutturale, nonché le sue possibilità d’uso e potenziali vulnerabilità. L’elaborazione delle informazioni raccolte conduce alla formulazione di progetti di conservazione e strategie di uso che abbiano, come imprescindibile priorità, la sicurezza della struttura in piena compatibilità con le proprietà della fabbrica. Le analisi, che si svolgono attraverso approfondimenti successivi per riconoscere ed interpretare aspetti tecnologici e morfologici, o eventuali patologie implicano indagini visive, raccolte di dati storici sull'evoluzione dell'edificio, il rilievo geometrico, del quadro fessurativo e delle discontinuità strutturali, la mappatura dei degradi delle superfici. Si tratta di prassi metodologiche che appartengono al sapere dell’Architetto, spesso restio al diretto coinvolgimento in aspetti strutturali, tradizionalmente ritenuti di competenza ingegneristica. La nota vuol mettere in luce, attraverso esempi e riflessioni, gli aspetti salienti della diagnosi delle strutture storiche e il ruolo essenziale dell’Architetto.The structural diagnosis is a crucial step in the preservation strategies of the historic buildings; it is often aimed at addressing the possible options - cultural and technical - for the preservation and/or repair, assessing the structural and materials conditions, as well as its possibilities and potential vulnerabilities of the building. The processing of the collected information leads to the formulation of projects and use strategies that have, as main priority, the safety of the structure in full compatibility with the building characteristics. The analysis involves subsequent studies aimed at recognize and to interpret technological and morphological characteristics - or any pathology - through visual inspections, the collection of data on the building evolution, the survey of the geometry, of the cracks and of the structural discontinuities, the mapping of the surface decay. These methodological procedures belong to the knowledge of the architect, often reluctant to any direct involvement in structural aspects, traditionally considered to be of engineering skills. The paper highlights, by examples and reflections, the main aspects of the diagnosis of historic structures and the key role of the Architec
Correction to: Understanding of historical masonry for conservation approaches: the contribution of Prof. Luigia Binda to research advancement (Materials and Structures, (2018), 51, 6, (140), 10.1617/s11527-018-1254-4)
No full textThe article ‘‘Understanding of historical masonry for conservation approaches: the contribution of Prof. Luigia Binda to research advancement’’, written by ‘‘Anna Anzani, Giuliana Cardani, Paola Condoleo, Elsa Garavaglia, Antonella Saisi, Cristina Tedeschi, Claudia Tiraboschi, Maria Rosa Valluzzi’’, was originally published electronically on the publisher’s Internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 16 October 2018 without open access. The copyright of the article changed in December 2019 to © The Author(s) 2019, and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made
Galleria degli Antichi and Palazzo Giardino at Sabbioneta: Remarks from archive research and direct survey
No full textThe paper focus on two historical building, the Galleria degli Antichi and Palazzo Giardino at Sabbioneta, the capital of the duchy of Vespasiano Gonzaga, included in the UNESCO Word Heritage list in 2008, along with the city of Mantua. Sabbioneta was built in the 16th century in about 35 years, transforming the existing fortification and the traces of the ancient settlements into an Ideal City, recognisable as one of the higher examples of the Renaissance principles in urban planning. After the death of the Duke Vespasiano Gonzaga in 1591, the town was neglected for long time with positive and negative outcomes. From one side we can observe few changes in the general urban layout; from the other sides the single buildings underwent maintenance problem. The “Galleria degli Antichi”, the Gallery of the Ancients, built between 1583 and 1584 to host the art collection of the Duke, and connected through a flyover passage to a former building, “Palazzo Giardino”. The sequence of the recent interventions, which are affecting the present state of preservation of the buildings, is presented and discussed. The research was carried out through an accurate comparison of the archive documents and the direct inspection of the buildings. The investigation of the architectural complex included geometrical survey, analysis of the materials, of their decay, of the building technique and of the structural condition. An important step of the research is the evaluation of the building evolution in the XX century, resulting from the different interventions, uses and ownerships
Investigation strategy for structural assessment of historic towers
No full textHistorical masonry towers are relevant architectural heritage often in a strategic position within city centres. Their height and position require specific controls in order to define the state of preservation. The paper describes the investigation procedures developed by the authors in selected case studies. According to the timing and to the complexity of the structure, the approach requires preliminary visual inspections, geometric, crack pattern survey supplemented by historical research and stratigraphic survey. Operational modal testing evaluates the overall structural behaviour, indicating eventual local (or global) problems to study in depth by monitoring or further local tests. Emergency operations, such as controls after earthquakes, could require prompt procedures. In this case, the combination of visual inspection, geometric and damage survey with dynamic testing is a reliable procedure for structural assessment. Additional investigation increases the knowledge of local problems or gives information for further activity such as structural modelling. For instance, relevant data are the evaluation of the masonry quality or the control of the local state of stress to estimate through non-destructive or minor destructive testing in selected positions. Nevertheless, such activities require accurate projects of the investigation too, planning and localising several tests in order to solve the problems detected in the preliminary steps of the diagnosis process
Vibration Testing and System Identification of a Monumental Building in Sabbioneta, Italy
No full textThe assessment of Cultural Heritage buildings is a challenging multi-disciplinary activity, involving different tasks. The paper exemplifies the application of the methodology involving historic and architectural research complemented by a dynamic survey in the structural modelling of the Galleria degli Antichi, a monumental building built in the 16th century in the historic town of Sabbioneta (Italy), which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2008. After a concise historic background on the investigated building, the paper focuses on the results obtained from operational modal testing and the subsequent finite element (FE) model correlation analysis. The good knowledge of the structural geometry and the large number of identified vibration modes, combined with a classic system identification technique, allowed to establish a linear elastic FE model, accurately fitting the modal parameters of the monument in its present condition
Continuous Dynamic Monitoring to Enhance the Knowledge of a Historic Bell-Tower
No full textThe results of the long-term vibration monitoring program, carried out on the bell-tower of Santa Maria del Carrobiolo in Monza (Italy), are reported in the paper. The dynamic monitoring was motivated by the weak structural layout of the historic building, with two fronts of the tower being supported by the load-bearing structures of the apse and South aisle of the adjacent church. Furthermore, closely spaced modes with similar mode shapes were clearly identified from ambient vibration tests, hence, the modal parameters of the bell-tower significantly differ from those obtained in past experimental studies of similar masonry structures. The continuous dynamic monitoring was mainly aimed at enhancing the knowledge of the historic structure, checking the possible evolution of the key resonant frequencies and assessing the effects of changing temperature on the dynamic characteristics of the bell-tower. The main results of the dynamic monitoring for a period of two years highlight distinctive behavior of the bell-tower, such as the frequency veering exhibited by the lower modes with increased temperature. Subsequently, in order to mitigate the effects of the environmental factors on resonant frequencies, the application of the multiple linear regression (MLR) and the principal component analysis (PCA) tools have been investigated
Structural diagnosis of the architectural heritage: The key role of historical research
No full textModern approach to the diagnosis and structural assessment of historic structure involves several aspects, including information resulting from historic documentation. This item is normally far from the traditional procedures for the structural assessment. Nevertheless, the recent versions of the Italian seismic code require the collection of specific historical information to include in the seismic analysis. In fact, the damage surveyed after the 1997-98 earthquakes documented several brittle structural failures due to defects related to the building transformations. When not considered in the intervention, lack of restrains between masonry portions, fragmentary masonry portions or changes of the building technology can trigger damage but also collapse. The paper focuses the main information resulting from bibliographic and historical research based on available source. Furthermore, the paper underlines the importance of a continuous and direct comparison between the collected data and the building itself. The recognizing of potential discontinuities or irregularity of the structural layout, in fact, could require the planning of further controls to support the safety assessment and analysis
Intervention on diffused architectural heritage in seismic area: which investigations for which intervention?
No full textThe structural diagnosis is a key point in the preservation strategies of the historic buildings; it is often aimed at addressing the possible options - cultural and technical - for the preservation and/or repair, assessing the structural and materials conditions, as well as the possibilities and potential vulnerabilities of the building. The processing of the collected information leads to the formulation of projects and use strategies that have, as main priority, the safety of the structure with full compatibility with the building characteristics. The analysis involves research aimed at a) recognizing - and evaluating - the technological and morphological characteristics - or any pathology - through visual inspections, b) collecting data concerning the building evolution, c) surveying the geometry, the cracks and the structural discontinuities, d) the mapping of the surface decay, e) characterizing sampled materials through laboratory tests, f) studying detected problems through on-site tests. Despite the requests of the Italian Code, the knowledge process is often overlooked or carried out only superficially, being often considered a waste of resources. The paper analyses the main problems affecting the architectonic heritage and the suggested diagnostic solutions; the possible risks of un-reliable structural assessments and interventions are underlined
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