Structural Analysis and Durability Assessment of Historical Constructions Using a Finite Element Dam

The objective of this paper is to describe a methodology which can be effectively used for assessing the structural conditions and durability of historical mansory and concrete constructions. This includes the prediction of local and global behavior up to structural failure under static and dynamic conditions. The approach combines the use of the concept of damage to represent the non-linear deterioration process of the material with advanced finite element models (including physical-chemical-biological degradation) and extensive experimental testing to calibrate and validate the overall numerical model.
The content of the paper is the following. In the next section a brief historical background of damage models is presented. Then the basic ingredients of the damage model used are described together with its implementation for finite element analysis of historical constructions. Finally, examples of preliminary applications of the model to the analysis of the central dome ST. Marks Basilica in Venice are presented.