PSI - Issue 78

Emanuele Rizzi et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 1420–1427

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(a)

(b)

Fig. 7. Capacity curves of the OOP models: configurations (a) C1 and (b) C2.

6. Conclusions The study reported in this paper is aimed at assessing the seismic vulnerability of the arcade in a three-aisled church with an open timber truss roof, by analyzing the local in-plane (IP) and out-of-plane (OOP) failure mechanisms. The effectiveness of a roof bracing intervention with diagonal steel ties, to prevent local collapse of the arcade, is also analyzed. The vulnerability assessment, performed through numerical analyses of simple and compound overturning mechanisms on a representative strip of the arcade, both in-plane and out-of-plane, revealed a significant increase in resistance due to the installation of the roof X-bracing system. The resistance gains amount to 68% for IP and 195% for OOP, increasing to 136% and 174%, respectively, when considering hinge retraction due to masonry toe crushing. The modeling strategy adopted has proven effective in analyzing kinematics that are particularly complex to treat analytically and allowed for a more realistic representation of the effects of the bracing ties. A limitation of the modeling lies in the need to define the positions of the hinges in advance, both at the base of the columns and between the blocks, which can affect the accuracy in representing the overall behavior. This limitation could be overcome by adopting a nonlinear masonry material model, at least near the contact zones, but this would entail a higher computational burden. However, despite this simplification, the results obtained provide meaningful insights for the assessment of the seismic behavior of the analyzed reinforcement intervention. The future objective is to extend the model to the entire arcade, so as to include more realistically the effect continuity between adjacent arches and the interaction of the arcade with the roof structure and surrounding masonry walls. Besides, the numerical results will be compared with estimates obtained from analytical strategies based on nonlinear kinematic analysis, with the aim of developing reliable simplified approaches for practical design applications concerning such complex scenarios. References BeWeb, Ufficio Nazionale per i beni culturali ecclesiastici e l'edilizia di culto, Beni ecclesiastici in WEB, https://beweb.chiesacattolica.it/?l=it_IT. [Accessed: Jul. 7, 2025]. Boscotrecase L, Piccarreta F. Edifici in muratura in zona sismica. Palermo: Flaccovio; 2006. Criber, E., Brando, G., De Matteis, G., 2015. The effects of L’Aquil a earthquake on the St. Gemma church in Goriano Sicoli: part I — damage survey and kinematic analysis. Bull. Earthq. Eng. 13, 3713 – 3732. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-015-9792-4 Gozzi, J., Olsson, A., 2003. Stainless steel : plasticity and constitutive modelling. Presented at the Stainless Steel in Structures : International Experts Seminar 20/05/2003 - 20/05/2003, pp. 115 – 122. INGV, I terremoti in Italia, Ingvterremoti, https://ingvterremoti.com/i-terremoti-in-italia/ [Accessed: Jul. 7, 2025]. Zanetti, A.A ., Briseghella, L., Clonfero, G., Drusin, N., Franca, G., Granzer, G., Grattoni d’Arcano, M., Marini, G., Negro, P., Pavan, G ., Pertegato, F., Vale, M., Elcher, M., 1987. Il Duomo di Gemona. Comune di Gemona del Friuli.