Composites for seismic protection of cultural heritage

In this paper a review is shown on some case studies and on the rationale of seismic protection interventions on monumental buildings by means of innovative materials. Seismic retrofitting of cultural heritage, and monumental buildings in particular, requires compliance with restrictive constraints related to the preservation of original artistic and structural features. Any intervention must achieve structural performances yet still respect appearance, respect structural mechanism, and be as minimally invasive as possible. Therefore, usually traditional retrofit strategies may not be suitable for such purposes, and structural engineers need to develop specific techniques. Innovative materials (e.g., composites) may be helpful as demonstrated by the case studies presented in this paper. Fiber Reinforced Plastics (FRY) were used for the design, analysis, and installation of the retrofit for the medieval bell tower in Serra San Quirico (Ancona, Italy) and the Bell Tower of Santa Maria del Carmine (Napoli, Italy). Furthermore ongoing research programs on seismic retrofitting of historical masonry are shown (e.g. masonry prototype buildings tested on shaking tables, cyclic tests on masonry panels and columns).