HERITAGE PRESERVATION FUNDAMENTALS

Prof. Anna Anzani, tutor M. Guarisco

A.A. 2019-2020

LECTURE 3.3 – Masonry towers and pillars

1
 ACTIONS ON STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
AND RELATED CRACK PATTERNS

earthquake soil settlement

compression tension shear (diagonal tension)

 ACTIONS ON STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
AND RELATED CRACK PATTERNS

self weight

compression
 ACTIONS ON STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
AND RELATED CRACK PATTERNS

tension in the
lower side of
the beam

tension
 ACTIONS ON STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
AND RELATED CRACK PATTERNS

earthquake

shear (diagonal tension)

 ACTIONS ON STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
AND RELATED CRACK PATTERNS

soil settlement

shear (diagonal tension)

Vertical stress distribution in a masonry wall with openings

P=gHA sv = P/A sv = g H
A__
P

AA
sv = P/A
H

➢ stress increases from

top to bottom
➢ stress flux lines indicate
stress concentration
and cracks direction
Cracks due to excessive vertical load
Cracks due to excessive vertical load
Cracks due to excessive vertical load
 Bowing of railings

Vertical wrinkling of plaster

Separation of multiple
leaf wall
Buckling of slender sub-structures
produced by vertical cracking

A b1 b2
 Safety of monumental buildings

1989 collapse of the medieval Tower of Pavia

1996 collapse of the Noto Cathedral

Diffusion of masonry towers and cathedrals in Italy and Europe

➔important part of our heritage
➔time-dependent behaviour

14
Collapse of monumental buildings

Bell Tower of San Marco,

Venice (1902)

Civic Tower of Pavia (1989)

Bell Tower of the parish church of

St. Maria Magdalena, Goch (1993)
 Collapse of monumental buildings
Cathedral of Noto, 1996

Meldert Tower, Belgium, 2006

16 Zichem Tower, Belgium, 2006

Collapse of the Bell Tower Collapse of the
of San Marco, 1902 Bell Tower of the
parish church of
Corbetta, 1902
Collapse of the Bell Tower of the parish church
of St. Maria Magdalena, Goch, 1993
Bell Towers collapsed in Venice
Altabella Tower, Bologna, XIII cent.
Coronata Tower, Bologna, XII cent.
Coronata Tower, Bologna
Civic Tower of Pavia

Masonry of XIV century

25
26
 The esplanade of the exhibition center where the rubble that
invaded the square were transported and, in the foreground, the
blocks selected for the experimental investigation.

27
Civic Tower of Pavia, construction phases

XV century belfry

IV constructive
phase 1583 - 1598

III constructive
phase 1200 -
trunk 1300

II constructive
phase 1200 -
1300

I constructive
phase 1060 -
1100
 Civic tower of Pavia, masonry typologies

plain masonry
XVI cent.

three-leaf masonry
XI-XIV cent. outer leaf
30
inner leaf
 Stress-strain relationship of masonry under compression

σ di picco

Deformation III
Non
is due to elastic
stress (load) 60%of
60% σ di picco
di peak stress

increase II Linear
elastic
30% of
30% σ di picco
di peak stress
I
locking

ε
 XV century masonry

Medieval inner leaf

XVMURATURA
century masonry
CINQUECENTESCA
RIEMPIMENTO
Medieval inner leaf

Velocità sonica
Material characterization

Ec 95-20

Ed 80-20
Pc1 73-20 Q

W
Pc1 73-20 b

Pc1 73-20 X

Pc1 73-20 r
Pc1 73-20 S

K
Pc1 73-20 M

In 95-20
Time dependent behaviour (creep)
is involved in the damage process
of ancient towers and pillars
 Creep behaviour Compression test
at constant load

TERTIARY CREEP

SECONDARY CREEP –

T Visco-plastic behaviour

P U Strain increases
over time at
constant load
A Q V
PRIMARY CREEP-
i Visco-elastic behaviour
R TIME
Instantaneous elastic strain
Long term tests
XV century masonry Medieval inner leaf
 7

Pc1 73-20 Q Pc1 73-20 Q

6

Pc1 73-20 M Pc1 73-20 M

5
10

Pc1 73-20 S
Ec 95-20

Pc1 73-20 M
In 95-20 W

Pc1 73-20 Q
P 73-20 b
P 73-20 b
v
P 73-20 b
[N/mm ]

Pc1 73-20 S
2

Pc1 73-20 S
4
Ec 95-20 5
Ec 95-20

K
3
sv

W W 0
In 95-20 In 95-20

[m/mm]
2
-5
K K

Ec 95-20
W

Pc1 73-20 M
1
-10

Pc1 73-20 S
h v

Pc1 73-20 Q
In 95-20
0 -15
-25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10
[m/mm]
-20

P 73-20 b
-25

h
-30 K
0 200000 400000 600000 800000

Tempo [sec]
Bell tower of
the Cathedral
of Monza
Masonry from Monza – long term test

300 mm x 300 mm x 510 mm

 6 6
Masonry from Monza

sv (Mpa)
sv [MPa]
4 4
pseudo-creep test
2 v ( x10 )
3 2
v ( x10 )
3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
0 0
0
time [sec]

time [sec]
12000 8000 4000
4000
12000 8000
 Influence of creep on the residual life
LEGENDA

Riempimento Torre Civica Pavia

Cella campanaria Torre Civica Pavia
Paramento Torre Civica Pavia
Torre Campanaria Monza
10.00
Curva media

secondaty creep strain rate


[sec-1 ]

1.00
v(*106 ) /t

TIME

0.10

0.01
100 1000 10000 100000
tempo [sec]
time [sec]
Failure of the Cathedral of Noto

1990 earthquake

1996 collapse
Damage of pillars with non-homogeneous section
Damage of pillars with non-homogeneous section
Cathedral of Pavia Cathedral of Milano
 LEGENDA

Damage of pillars with

Sezione muraria

non-homogeneous section LEGENDA

Sezione muraria

24,5 m

24,5 m

12,0 m

12,0 m
7,65 m
6,48 m

7,65 m
6,48 m
2,7 m

2,7 m

Pilastro
Pilastro
Pilastro Pilastro Campanile
Pilastro Pilastro Pilastro Pilastro Campanile
Duomo di Pavia Cattedrale di Noto di S. Maarco aPilastro di S. Maarco a Pilastro
Duomo di Milano Campanile di Duomo di Pavia
Duomo di Milano Cattedrale di Noto Campanile di
Venezia Venezia
Goch Goch
 Church of SS. Crocifisso, Noto

37.46
19

36.51
2
1 2
+12 +1 3
2 1 2

2 1
1 1 S
+1 1
245.95
1 5
146

128.49
1 1

+2 5
1 S
1 1
2 1-2 2 2
1
1 2
0 5

43.03
43

39.5 98.5 38 17 126 16 38.5

38 98 39.5
 COMPRESSION TESTS ON THREE-LEAF WALLS

20 Serena stone

ext. ext.

sv [N/mm2]
15
int. int.
10

5
h v
0

-9 -6 -3 0 3 6
 ( x10 3)

20 Noto stone

no offset with offset

sv [N/mm2]
15
rb Po Drilling sc E
Stone
[kg/m3] [%] direction [N/mm2] [N/mm2] 10
loading 20,6 9.476
Noto 1.730 15,4 int.
5 int.
Normal 17,6 8.526
loading 104,2 18.218
h ext. ext. v
Serena 2.538 2,1 0
Normal 89,0 23.293
-9 -6 -3 0 3 6
 ( x10 3)
 COMPRESSION TESTS ON THREE-LEAF WALLS

16
PS3
PS5o

12
s [N/mm2]

PN5o

4
PN3

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
 [m/mm]
SPECIMEN PEAK LOAD s [N/mm2] dmax max E(LVDT) E(plates)
[KN] [mm] [m/mm] [N/mm2] [N/mm2]
Noto no-offset 912,7 5,8 3,57 4,4 5.567 1.558
Noto with offset 1.013,4 6,4 4,16 5,1 3.862 2.900
Serena no-offset (>250.000) - - - 5.325 2.068
Serena with offset (>250.000) - - - 4.211 2.519
COMPRESSION TESTS ON THREE-LEAF WALLS

Noto stone
smax= 6.62 N/mm2

Serena stone
smax= 15.32 N/mm2
Risk factors menacing the safety of ancient
structures:

❑external factors
▪ lack of maintenance
▪ load increase due to the building modifications
▪ soil settlements
▪ mechanical shocks due to earthquakes, fires, etc.,
❑intrinsic feature
▪ masonry quality (material weakness, multiple
leaves…)
▪ time-dependent behavior or creep
 
❑ Secondary creep strain rate is directly related
to the residual life
TIME

❑ When failure is approached, a transversal

dilation takes place through fracturing and
crack opening

❑ Detecting the crack pattern and transversal

dilation may help failure prevention