PSI - Issue 44

Mariateresa Guadagnuolo et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 44 (2023) 878–885 M. Guadagnuolo et al. / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2022) 000–000

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Fig. 1 Ten masonries of yellow tuff of Campania (South Italy)

3. MQI Method A qualitative assessment of the selected samples was performed using the masonry quality index method (MQI) (Borri e al. 2015). This method was proposed for defining mechanical features of the masonry to be used for interventions in existing historic buildings and has been integrated into the design regulations of the Umbria region of Italy. The estimation procedure requires an in-depth knowledge of historical construction methods. Starting from the visual evaluation of seven parameters of “ the rule of art”, the method defines three indices representing the quality of the masonry, depending on the direction of the acting load (V = vertical compressive loading, I = horizontal in-plane, and O = horizontal out-of-plane loading). The actions analysed are: • Vertical loading: involving concentrated forces and distributed on the top surface; • Out of plane loading: involving forces acting orthogonally to the masonry plane, such as seismic forces;