Learning from Failure

Chapter 1: Failures due to long-term behaviour of heavy structuresIntroduction; The collapse of the Civic Tower of Pavia: search for the cause; Long-term behaviour of masonry structures; Collapse and damage of towers due to long-term heavy loads; The role of investigation on the interpretation of the damage causes; Comparison between the two towers; ConclusionsChapter 2: Experimental researches into long-term behaviour of historical masonryIntroduction; Tests on the masonry of the Civic Tower of Pavia; Tests on the masonry of the crypt of the Cathedral of Monza; CommentsChapter 3: Collapse prediction and creep effectsIntroduction; Short-term compression: failure analysis and collapse prediction using numerical simulations; Long-term compression: experimental assessment; Conclusions and future workChapter 4: Effects of creep on new masonry structuresIntroduction; The step-by-step in time approach to modeling time-dependent effects; Case 1: An axially loaded column; Case 2: Composite structural element subject to bending; New mathematical approaches to modeling creep; Discussion; ConclusionsChapter 5: Experimental study on the damaged pillars of the Noto CathedralIntroduction; The collapse and the decision for reconstruction; On-site investigation on the remaining parts of the collapsed pillarsChapter 6: Monitoring of long-term damage in long-span masonry constructionsIntroduction; Monitoring and long-term damage; Role of monitoring in the study of ancient constructions; Monitoring: methodology and requirements; Measuring damage and deformation related to historical or long-term processes; Structural modelling and monitoring; Case studies; ConclusionsChapter 7: Modelling of the long-term behaviour of historical masonry towersIntroduction; A continuum damage model for masonry creep; Structural analyses of two masonry towers; Remarks and future perspectivesChapter 8: Repair techniques and long-term damage of massive structuresIntroduction; The bed reinforcement technique; The experimental campaigns; Case studies; Final remarksChapter 9: Simple checks to prevent the collapse of heavy historical structures and residual life prevision through a probabilistic modelIntroduction; The safety of ancient towers; A probabilistic model for the assessment of historic buildings; Fragility curves from the experimental data; Application to the bell-tower of Monza; Conclusions