Sapienza Università Editrice

Considering the seismic behaviour of cultural heritage buildings, recent earthquakes have emphasised the high vulnerability of vaulted structures. In this regard, the present thesis deals with masonry cross vaults, among the most diffused and fascinating structural typologies of the European cultural heritage. After a thorough review of cross vault historical developments, the focus is shifted to the shaking table tests of a scaled arch. These two points provided valuable information to calibrate the finite element model of cross vault, discussed next. Finally, the influence of the main geometrical and mechanical parameters on the seismic capacity of cross vaults are examined by means of a sensitivity analysis.