Abstract

The stability of masonry buttresses under horizontal forces is of paramount importance for the safety of vaulted structures, and yet has been the subject of limited studies. In particular, buttresses of non-rectangular geometries such as trapezoidal and stepped buttresses, which are typical of Gothic architecture, have not been sufficiently investigated. This study follows on from a companion paper devoted to masonry with trapezoidal buttresses. Based on similar modelling approaches and assumptions, the present paper aims to predict the failure of stepped buttresses. The analytical solution, obtained by treating masonry as a continuum with no tension resistance and accounting for the formation of a fracture prior to collapse, is compared with the predictions of the discrete element method. The numerical approach considers masonry as an assemblage of rigid blocks with no-tension frictional joints and is based on time-stepping integration of the equations of motion of the individual blocks. The relative efficiency of different buttress shapes for a given total volume is also compared, and an example buttress is used as a benchmark to demonstrate the practical applicability of the proposed models.

Autore Pugliese

• Dimitri Rossana

Tutti gli autori

• L. De Lorenzis , R. Dimitri , J. Ochsendorf

Titolo volume/Rivista

PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS. STRUCTURES AND BUILDINGS

Anno di pubblicazione

2012

ISSN

0965-0911

ISBN

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Wos

5

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

25/04/2018

Numero di citazioni Scopus

3

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

26/04/2018

Settori ERC

Non Disponibile

Codici ASJC

Non Disponibile