Evolution of the Fracturing Process in Masonry Arches

Abstract

Masonry arch structures, and, more generally, vaulted structures, are traditionally assessed using a well-established approach, such as linear elasticity or limit analysis, whereby system behavior at the intermediate stage—which occurs when the material’s tensile strength has been exceeded but the collapse mechanism has not yet formed—is disregarded. A more accurate interpretation requires a thorough analysis that can take into account the intermediate cracking stage and uses a constitutive law providing a closer approximation to the actual behavior of the material. In this paper, an evolutionary fracturing process analysis for the stability assessment of masonry arches is presented. This method makes it possible to capture the damaging process that takes place when the conditions evaluated by means of linear elastic analysis no longer apply and before the conditions assessed through limit analysis set in. Furthermore, the way the thrust line is affected by the opening of cracks and the redistribution of internal stresses can be checked numerically. Finally, by applying this evolutionary method, a numerical calculation of the arch of the Mosca Bridge over the Dora River in Turin, Italy, is described, and the results are compared with those obtained by Castigliano’s iterative analysis.