Seismic Vulnerability and Strengthening of Unreinforced Masonry Buildings

Dear Colleagues,

Historical structures represent a high percentage of existing constructions in numerous seismic prone regions, and some of them are iconic monuments of their countries. These structures deserve special care because of their individual historical and/or architectural meaning and are living witnesses of earlier constructive traditions. Most of the existing European historical structures are made of masonry. Earthquakes often cause either massive damage or destruction of these structures, whose seismic behavior evaluation is a challenge for scientific research.

The seismic vulnerability assessment of such structures depends on reliable numerical simulations. Numerical modeling of the seismic behavior of masonry structures represents a very complex problem due to the constitutive laws of structural materials and their highly non-linear behavior. Starting from these premises, the target of this Special Issue is to outline materials and techniques used from ancient times to design masonry buildings, as well as to investigate the different procedures and numerical modeling methods for structural analysis of historical constructions and monuments in seismic prone areas.

Moreover, the difficulty in performing a reliable assessment of the actual structural conditions of monumental constructions makes the implementation of a consistent seismic strengthening design difficult. When restoration is of interest, the preservation of monument artistic and historical values, as well as the respect for original materials and authentic technical documentations represent the main aims. These aims impose to the involved practitioners an obligation to consider appropriate techniques and materials for structural repair and seismic strengthening. In the current Special Issue, particular attention is dedicated to the use of traditional and innovative materials, as well as to ancient and modern intervention techniques, evaluated with reference to both restoration charters and to their effectiveness in improving structural safety of historical and monumental buildings.

Prof. Dr. Eng. Antonio Formisano
Prof. Dr. Arch. Luigi Sorrentino
Dr. Eng. Maria Zucconi
Guest Editors

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