Ricerc@Sapienza

Numerical modeling of masonry structures is nowadays still an active research field, and this is partly due to a number of open issues related to preservation and restoration of historical constructions and the availability of computational tools that have become more and more refined. This work focuses on the analysis of settlement-induced failure patterns characterizing the in-plane response of two-dimensional dry-joints masonry panels, which differ in terms of texture, geometry, and settlement configuration.

We illustrate an original method for the limit analysis of masonry structures modeled as assemblies of dry rigid blocks with Coulomb-type (non-associative) contact interface laws. The method resorts to a fictitious system characterized by cohesive-type contact interface laws that depend on the axial forces of the real block system. Two theorems establish the connection between the collapse state of the real (frictional) block assembly and that of the fictitious one. Hence, an alternative problem of mathematical programming is presented to evaluate the minimum collapse load multiplier.

This paper deals with the capacity of bridge abutments, which is an important element for the evaluation of the seismic performance of bridges with integral or semi-integral abutments and yet has received little attention in the scientific literature. We evaluate the capacity of the system formed by the abutment structure, the foundation soil, and the approach embankment under multiaxial loading conditions based on a finite-element implementation of upper and lower bound theorems of plastic limit analysis.