Seismic Performance of Masonry Arches and Vaults

The study of the vulnerability of historical masonry structures during earthquakes is gaining much attention in the recent decades due to the increasing awareness in the conservation of the built ancient heritage so that life and property must be preserved. Historical masonry structures were designed for gravity loads, there were no earthquake resistant provision in those times, and they are vulnerable hence required to be safeguard against seismic forces. Various failures of such structures were reported in literature due to earthquakes. Masonry structures are usually associated to a high seismic vulnerability mainly due to the property of materials (high specific mass, low tensile strength, moderate shear strength and the low ductility). In addition to the influence of the material properties, the seismic behavior of masonry buildings depends on factors such as geometry of the structure, weak connections between floors and load bearing walls, high mass of masonry wall, stiffness of the floors and the behavior of the non-structural elements. For these reasons, the seismic performance of old masonry buildings has received much attention in the last decades. Masonry arches, vaults & domes have demonstrated to be one of the critical elements in the seismic vulnerability of historic constructions. The seismic capacity of masonry arches and vaults has been assessed through pushover analysis. Damage and collapses caused by earthquakes shows that masonry arches and vaults are one of the most vulnerable elements in historic constructions. In the present study, the structure is modeled using finite element software assuming a homogeneous and non-linear behavior of the material. The results thus obtained will be useful for detecting the weak failure zone of the structure under future earthquake forces. Seismic vulnerability of historical masonry is very tricky as in most cases direct retrofitting applications are not allowed as it may spoil the aesthetic architectural point of view hence some proper strengthening techniques have to be adopted in order to safeguard the structures during future earthquakes.