The structural performance of old stone-masonry bridges is examined by studying such structures located at the North-West of Greece, declared cultural heritage structures. A discussion of their structural system is included, which is linked with specific construction details. The dynamic characteristics of four stone bridges, obtained by temporary in situ instrumentation, are presented together with the mechanical properties of their masonry constituents. The basic assumptions of relatively simple three-dimensional (3-D) numerical simulations of the dynamic response of such old stone bridges are discussed based on all selected information. The results of these numerical simulations are presented and compared with the measured response obtained from the in situ experimental campaigns. The seismic response of one such bridge is studied subsequently in some detail as predicted from the linear numerical simulations under combined dead load and seismic action. The performance of the same bridge is also examined applying 3-D non-linear numerical simulations with the results used to discuss the structural performance of stone-masonry bridges that either collapsed or may be vulnerable to future structural failure. Issues that influence the structural integrity of such bridges are discussed combined with the results of the numerical and in situ investigation. Finally, a brief discussion of maintenance issues is also presented.
This paper summarizes observations and conclusions from a series of investigations on the seismic performance of stone masonry Christian basilica churches. A considerable number of these churches develops structural damage to the masonry walls-piers that arises from the amplitude of the gravitational and seismic actions combined with the deformability of the foundation. This traditional "old-type" construction for Christian churches still exists in several regions of the Mediterranean Basin, apart from Greece, despite the considerable seismic hazard that these regions are exposed to. An expert system was developed, which utilizes the basic geometric and material characteristics of a given masonry pier together with the in-plane stress resultant demands in a cross section, such as the axial force (Ny) the bending moment (M y ) and the shear force (Q y ), in order to check the performance of such a pier. This is done by comparing the demands posed by these stress resultants with the corresponding capacities as they are predicted by the provisions of Euro-code 6 or from relevant empirical formulae. This is done by considering either the in-plane flexural or the in-plane shear capacity. This expert system is applied to typical basilica churches damaged by the recent 2014 Kefalonia earthquake in order to demonstrate its usefulness in the evaluation process of either the expected or the observed earthquake performance of this type of heritage structure.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.