PSI - Issue 78

Matteo Calzolari et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 1119–1125

1121

The load-bearing system of Palazzo Gulinelli consists of historic masonry made of solid clay bricks and lime mortar. Based on on-site investigations, Ferrara bricks measure approximately 28 × 13.5 × 5 cm³, and the following wall thicknesses have been identified:  One-wythe masonry: 13.5 cm thick;  Two-wythe masonry: 27 cm thick;  Three-wythe masonry: 40 cm thick;  Four-wythe masonry: 53 cm thick. The building presents an orthogonal layout, with walls extending from the ground floor up to the attic, except for some elements which are found only on the lower levels; conversely, some upper-level walls do not align with those on the below floors. The floor slabs are oriented parallel to the main facade; as a result, the longitudinal walls are only lightly loaded in terms of axial force, making them more vulnerable to shear failures. 3. Analysis of the damage pattern The numerous modifications carried out over time have led to significant structural and spatial irregularities. Following the two main shocks of the Emilia seismic sequence (May 20 and 29, 2012), which caused only a moderate ground shaking in Ferrara on the order of 0.07g-0.08g, widespread damage patterns were observed, particularly in the most vulnerable elements. As a consequence, a detailed crack pattern survey was conducted in these critical areas. A preliminary assessment of the building’s main facade, as shown in Fig. 2, reveals evident cracking in the upper portion of the structure. These cracks are attributable to a foundation settlement affecting the left portion of the building (Fig. 3), as highlighted by Alessandri et al. (2014), while the diagonal cracks observed at the spandrels level indicate that the wall has also been solicited in its plane. The direction of the main shock of the 2012 earthquake reveals that the structure was subjected to both in-plane and out-of-plane actions, as shown in Fig. 1(a). Furthermore, this foundation settlement caused cracking in the walls orthogonal to the main facade, thereby increasing the vulnerability of the latter. As reported by Alessandri et al. (2014), cracks on the main facade of Palazzo Gulinelli reached openings of up to 10 mm, while a crack on the wall orthogonal to the facade exhibited a 0.5 mm increase during the 2012 earthquake, indicating the activation of a Mode I out-of-plane failure mechanism.

Fig. 2. Crack pattern of the main facade of Palazzo Contughi-Gulinelli.