Between August 2016 and January 2017 nine shallow earthquakes ranging from 5.0 and 6.5 of moment magnitude affected Central Italy, involving several municipalities wherein unreinforced masonry buildings are more than three quarters of all constructions. Damage state has been very severe, with sixteen settlements belonging to the municipalities of Amatrice, Arquata del Tronto, Accumoli, Castelsantangelo sul Nera and Norcia experiencing a cumulative European macroseismic scale intensity larger than IX. Ground motion demand in terms of peak ground velocity was approximately two or three times what expected for a 475 years return period while the pseudoacceleration response spectra showed values between once and twice gravity acceleration for the period range typical of two and three storeys unreinforced masonry buildings. Moreover, since October 2016, such large seismic demand acted on structures damaged from previous shocks testifying the effects of damage accumulation, too. The significant shaking alone cannot explain the extremely severe damage of some settlements, with large portions of whole blocks completely collapsed, highlighting the need for investigating the specific vulnerability factors and construction features of unreinforced masonry buildings in the affected area. In fact, although some deficiencies already highlighted in previous Italian earthquakes (e.g. inadequate structural connections) have been surveyed also during this sequence, a marked vulnerability of masonry and its mortar has been noticed, in particular in the area between Amatrice and Arquata del Tronto. On the contrary, the historical constructions in Norcia performed much better, as a result of the 1860 seismic code and of the retrofitting interventions implemented after the different earthquakes occurred in the last two centuries. Finally, a number of demolished and rebuilt constructions performed very well, and this was also the case also of modern hollow clay blockwork buildings that protected not only human life, but also cost of construction and continuity of use.

/pdf/seismic-behaviour-of-ordinary-masonry-buildings-during-the-1ehf46csh8.pdf

Seismic behaviour of ordinary masonry buildings during the 2016 central Italy earthquakes

Tunnel structural inspection and assessment using an autonomous robotic system

The 2009 L’Aquila earthquake in southern Italy affected a rather large number of buildings, which experienced macroseismic intensities between V and IX on the Mercalli–Cancani–Sieberg scale. Almost sixty thousand unreinforced masonry constructions were officially inspected and almost half of them ended up losing their usability status temporarily, partially or completely, where the term usability refers to the suitability of a building for habitation or occupancy after a seismic event. A fairly detailed damage and usability form was compiled thanks to the work of a large number of volunteers. However, when pre-event surveys are carried out, data collection needs to be confined to the most relevant information in order to save time and manpower. The main aim of this article is, thus, the definition of a simplified form for pre-earthquake territorial-scale surveys of buildings, one containing fewer usability parameters and categories than the form compiled after the earthquake in L’Aquila. Analysis shows similar usability for buildings with more than two storeys above ground, those with construction timespans after 1962, and structural types with a specific combination of vertical and horizontal structures. Therefore, a simplified tool is recommended, one with just three categories for number of storeys instead of the thirteen in the current form, five construction timespan categories instead of eight, four structural classes instead of the current thirty. Other parameters, such as the presence of isolated columns or of mixed structures, have been removed altogether.

Simplified survey form of unreinforced masonry buildings calibrated on data from the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake

Effects of coseismic ground vertical motion on masonry constructions damage during the 2016 Amatrice-Norcia (Central Italy) earthquakes

Past earthquakes have shown the high vulnerability of existing masonry buildings, particularly to out-of-plane local collapse mechanisms. Such mechanisms can be prevented if facades are res...

/pdf/dynamic-one-sided-out-of-plane-behavior-of-unreinforced-1c430x7ta1.pdf

Dynamic One-Sided Out-Of-Plane Behavior of Unreinforced-Masonry Wall Restrained by Elasto-Plastic Tie-Rods

Static penetration test for historical masonry mortar

A penetration test for masonry mortar, based on the principle of “static” penetration, is presented in this paper. The pin is driven at constant velocity by a stepper motor controlled by a computer. The result of the test is the penetration load, acquired by a load cell, as function of the penetration depth, acquired by an encoder. The penetrometer has been tested on masonry walls with decayed mortar, and the results are correlated with those of a previous percussion penetration test. Domenico Liberatore, Nicola Masini, Luigi Sorrentino, Vito Racina, Luca Frezza, Maria Sileo 2

A static penetration test for masonry mortar

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Static penetration test for historical masonry mortar

A static penetration test for masonry mortar