Perchè studiare le volte: As a valuable part of the cultural heritage, masonry structures are of interest to

engineers, architects, archaeologists, legal entities responsible for their maintenance, and another long
array of subjects directly and indirectly involved in their conservation. Arches and vaults are among the
most diffuse systems to cover rooms of diverse area and geometry in historical buildings. Therefore,
their study is important to understand if any reparation is necessary to extend their “life/ serviceability”
and guarantee their safety/stability and the fulfillment of their destination of use/ function.

Metodi per studiare le volte: The dimensioning of vaulted systems and the study of their structural
behavior date back to the past, when the Romans built the first monumental structures covered with
vaults, such as the colossal Basilica of Maxentius in Rome. In that times and long afterward, proportional
rules represented the only way to establish the proper shape and dimension of arches and vaults
[DeMatteis]. The fact that such structures are still standing proves that they are resistant-by-shape
structures [Gaet/Lour], being able to withstand the current external loads “by virtue of their shape and
it is possible to state that form and structure are coincident” [D’Altri]. Practical construction rules
represented the only tool to guarantee the stability of vaulted systems from the Middle Ages with
Villard de Honnecourt, whose notebooks contain studies on arches and the Fractional Method [paper
brutto], to geometrical dimensional concepts of some Masters of the Late Gothic Age [Gaetani/Louren],
passing through the Renaissance with the mathematical works of Alberti and the first considerations on
the arches’ statics of Da Vinci. It is only since the late 17 th and 18th century that new graphical methods
aiming at evaluating the arch stability started to flank the long-established practical rules. That is the
case of the studies of Hooke and Gregory that introduced the concept of the inverted catenary and its
mathematical formulation of Bernoulli, Huygens and Leibniz, and its application at the hands of Poleni
for the dome of St. Peter in Rome or the later reinterpretation of Gaudì in the Sagrada Familia in
Barcelona. Besides, another valuable graphical theory was De la Hire’s wedge theory and graphical
method, by which the arch is reconducted to a line (1D problem). In the same years Couplet, Coulomb
and Mascheroni moved a step forward in the graphical studies of the equilibrium of vaults, but still
tackling the problem from a 1D standpoint. In the 19 th century, Navier-Mèry introduced the theory of
elasticity, which represented an alternative to the theories developed until then [Benvenuti91].
Furthermore, the concept of the thrust line emerged, and the graphic statics was widely employed to
analyze vaults and domes, as reviewed in Huerta [59]. At any rate, it was only in the 20 th century with
the limit analysis of Heymann [ ] and Livesly [ ], firstly developed for masonry constructions and then
conveniently applied to masonry vaults, that all the previous scientific research aimed to study the
stability of arches and vaults, found robust theoretical foundations. The limit analysis is a rough but
engineering efficient tool to assess respectively the safety of masonry structures composed of
macroblocks through the static approach based on the lower-bound (or safe) theorem, and the collapse
through the kinematic approach based on the upper-bound theorem (kinematic limit analysis). D’Altri et
al. [ ] mention a wide range of approaches based on the limit analysis to study vaulted systems, with a
predominance of solutions based on the lower-bound theorem.

It is in the framework of the safe theorem (along with the graphic statics) that emerge the more recent
solutions such as the O’Dwyer’s tridimensional approach to the thrust line [99 Roca], the funicular
model of Roca 269, the extension of Block et. Al [54-56 Tralli], the real-time limit analysis or the TNA
(thrust network analysis) of Block and Ochesendorf 271, the 3D equilibrium analysis based on funicular
networks of Andreu at al. [57,58 Tralli],. [77 Roca], and many others that represent precious
developments on the base of the pioneering solutions of the monodimensional thrust line, graphics
methods, and limit analyses.

In contrast to the limit analysis that assumes masonry composing vaults and arches as rigid blocks with
infinite strength compression and zero tension, there are several material laws in the framework of
continuum mechanics. Among others, it is worth mentioning the no-tension stress criteria
[DiPasquale1982], the masonry-like material [Zani2018], and other constitutive laws based on the
plasticity theory [Dragon1979, Loure1996, Loure 1998] or damage mechanics [[Løland 1980, Papa1996,
Berto2002], for which the reader is referred to [RocaReview] for a more detailed examination. Finally,
the introduction of the maximum modulus eccentricities surface, which constitutes the extension of the
arches’ line of trust to vaults, is another notable advancement within the continuum mechanics
[Lucchesi].

To date, in spite of the vast range of methods available from the scientific literature for the study of the
vaults, they can be traced back to two main methods. The first is based on the iterative process of step-
by-step analyses; the second leverages on the limit analysis and its further developments and can be
eventually aided by graphic statics methods such as the TNA. Apart from the specificity of each method,
the underpinning difference is that the limit analysis is only suitable for the evaluation of limit states, but
it does not provide any information on the other tensional states and related cracks patterns and
deformations. On the contrary, approaches based on stresses and strains are capable of adequately
representing the current situation. For both approaches, the geometry of the structure and its accurate
reproduction into a structural model is of paramount importance.

L'importanza della forma: Not only this finding is demonstrated by the fact that ancient vaulted
structures built through geometrical considerations have stood the test of time precisely by virtue of
their shape, but it is also corroborated by modern structural analyses . Being the geometry crucial to
obtain reliable models, in the case of shape-resistant structures, it becomes mandatory to build a model
as if it were/ was a faithful replica of the real geometry, also including local deviations from a possible
ideal shape. In this context, the phase of the geometry acquisition should be paid attention to. To this
end, an accurate geometric survey should be performed by employing the TLS (Terrestrial Laser Scanner)
or close-range stereo photogrammetry, which are extensively proven to be effective to obtain 3d point
clouds [art Fra]. L. Schueremans et al. emphasize the influence of a rigorous survey to draw the thrust
lines to assess the stability of the vault of the main nave of Saint-Jacobs church in Belgium according to
the current loadings, and to evaluate the necessity to deploy consolidation interventions.

Carini & Genna [42] underline the key role played by the geometrical imperfections within the overall
geometry of the vault’s model with relation to its stability and show that their inclusion leads to a
change in the failure mechanism and a reduction of the collapse load with respect to the model with an
ideally perfect shape. Thus, the comparative analysis between diverse models evidences the importance
of the correct definition of the shape for resistant-by-shape structures. Finally, from this paper it also
emerges that schematizing the vaulted systems through a 3D geometry instead of a single 2D
representative section is fundamental to correctly evaluate the structural response. In fact, in the case
under study the major imperfections which proved to be relevant in the calculation of the collapse load
stood in the non-linearity of the generator of the vault. Thus, exclusively a 3D model could
appreciate/include them.
The present paper falls within the framework of the stress and strain approaches with the 3D FE
modeling of a pavilion vault (with lunettes). This work aims at highlighting the importance of considering
the real shape of the depressed vault to diagnose the origin of the current crack pattern, which is a
cause of concern mostly due to the foreseen rehabilitation/ refunctionalization of the rooms above. The
linear analysis carried out in the present context is to be meant as a preliminary study of the vault to be
further investigated in the future by means of nonlinear analyses. At any rate, the stresses distribution
resulting from the linear analysis performed with the real-shape model is by itself promising since the
tension peaks show a good correspondence with the areas of the vault furrowed by cracks. In the
following sections, a low-rise vault is analyzed with the aid of a structural model with a geometry
consistent with reality.

the diagnosis also benefits from information gathered from the historical and comparative analysis, as
well as data collected through in-situ tests…

Non si dice niente di altre persone che hanno adottato una metodologia che integrasse varie fonti di
conoscenza ai fini diagnostici?