Methodologies for assessing the structural integrity of historic masonry domes and vaults

Abstract

Modern non-destructive investigation techniques and computational tools for nonlinear analysis allow understanding the structural behavior and damage of existing buildings, aiming at the least possible extent of intervention. Careful and minimal intervention is essential to preserve the authenticity of the built cultural heritage. An investigation with a historical, experimental, and numerical approach was carried out in the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, a building with an eclectic architecture from the beginning of the twentieth century. Its masonry domes and vault have paintings by renowned artists on their intrados and were strengthened in the 1970s. The adopted methodology was based on anamnesis, characterization and observation of the structure employing non-destructive tests, and on the assessment of its vulnerability by nonlinear analyses of calibrated numerical models. Several hypotheses of differential settlement under gravitational actions were investigated, seeking to reproduce the cracking pattern and to identify the causes of damage to the masonry domes and vault before the strengthening. The nonlinear analysis of the structure allowed to evaluate the causes of the observed damage, assess the level of safety, identify the most vulnerable parts, and characterize the collapse mechanisms, in addition to demonstrating the efficiency of the intervention measures adopted in the past.