Title: When cracks are (not) a structural concern: the case of 'Giovanni Vinciguerra' School in Anagni

Authors: Chiara Ferrero; Concetta Cusano; Mehmet Nuri Yavuzer; Yu-Xian Wu; Antonino Iannuzzo

Addresses: Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genoa, Italy ' Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, Università degli Studi della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Via S. Lorenzo 31, 81031 Aversa, CE, Italy ' Civil Engineering Faculty, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey ' Digital Design and Fabrication Lab, Department of Architecture, Tamkang University, Taiwan ' Block Research Group, Institute of Technology in Architecture, ETH Zurich, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 1, HIB E 45, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland

Abstract: This paper presents the structural assessment of a portion of 'Giovanni Vinciguerra' School, located in the municipality of Anagni, Italy. In 2009, the presence of some cracks in the vaults of the basement led the authorities to close the building and declare it not usable. In this work, firstly a proper knowledge of the history, geometry and structural configuration of the school was achieved by means of bibliographic research, laser-scanner survey and visual inspections. During onsite inspections, the damage observed was also surveyed and mapped in detail. Then, structural analysis applying graphic statics and inverse piecewise rigid displacement (PRD) analysis was carried out with the aim to identify the causes of damage and evaluate the residual structural safety of the building. The results obtained allowed to prove that the structure is safe despite the occurrence of some damage in the basement.

Keywords: historic structures; damage assessment; structural analysis; effects of settlement; masonry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMRI.2022.119866

International Journal of Masonry Research and Innovation, 2022 Vol.7 No.1/2, pp.217 - 232

Received: 16 Jun 2020
Accepted: 14 Feb 2021
Published online: 22 Dec 2021 *

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