PSI - Issue 78

Mattia Zizi et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 1721–1728

1726

Another significant aspect observed during the numerical analyses is the notable damage that occurred near the supports. This phenomenon does not accurately reflect the real behavior of such structural elements in practice, where highly deformable horizontal elements (vaults) are typically supported by stronger and stiffer vertical elements, such as piers and walls. In real cases, it is therefore more likely that damage would be concentrated within the vault system rather than at its supports. Based on this consideration, it may be reasonable to construct the vault supports in concrete to avoid premature failure of them. 4. The experimental activity 4.1. General This section provides a comprehensive explanation of the design, construction, and experimental testing methodology applied to the full-scale prototype utilized in this study. The primary objective is to furnish a clear and detailed understanding of the experimental methods employed. Both the geometry of the prototype and the configuration of the experimental system were defined to reproduce the behavior of historic masonry vaults when subjected to simulated seismic forces. The prototype's design was inspired by the transept vaults described in Section 2. 4.2. Prototype Description and Construction The prototype developed for this research is a full-scale masonry cross vault. Its construction aimed to replicate the key geometric and structural features commonly observed in historical Italian vaulted buildings. The construction process necessitated the selection and characterization of materials to ensure that the prototype's mechanical properties closely corresponded to those of traditional Italian masonry systems. The structure comprises a central vaulted section supported by four reinforced concrete foundations. Each foundation supports a vertical concrete pillar, and collectively, these constitute the primary load-bearing system of the prototype. On three sides of the vault, brick infill walls were constructed to define the open spaces. These walls are supported by T-shaped reinforced concrete elements. The arrangement and dimensions of all structural components, including foundations, pillars, and T-walls, were established based on their influence on load distribution and overall structural behavior. The vault characteristics were selected with the objective of realistically simulating the structural geometry of analogous historical constructions. 4.3. Test Setup Definition As depicted in Fig. 6, the experimental setup was engineered to apply controlled horizontal displacements at the base of the prototype, for the simulation of earthquake forces. The entire test structure was anchored to a rigid strong floor, which provided the base necessary for reliable testing conditions. The experimental system comprised several key components: the loading mechanism, the boundary conditions, and the geometric configuration of the setup. The load was introduced from the side of the vault without brick walls and T-shaped supports. Horizontal displacements were applied using a servo-controlled actuator system, which enabled the application of quasi-static and cyclic movement of the structure, thereby simulating seismic effects. The actuator was employed to apply a unidirectional load to one of the pillars via a steel box and an intermediate steel plate, consequently inducing forward displacement during the designated loading phase. For the reverse loading phase, involving the pulling of the other pillar, a second steel plate was used in the steel box. These two plates were structurally interconnected by four high-tensile steel rods, a configuration designed to ensure synchronized movement and efficient load transfer throughout the testing procedure.