The structural response of masonry arches is strongly dominated by the arch geometry, the stone block dimensions and the interaction with backfill material or surrounding walls. Due to their intrinsic discontinuous nature, the nonlinear structural response of these key historical structures can be efficiently modelled in the context of discrete element approaches. Smeared crack finite elements models, based on the assumption of homogenised media and spread plasticity, fail to rigorously predict the actual collapse behaviour of such structures, that are generally governed by rocking and sliding mechanisms along mortar joints between stone blocks. In this paper a new Discrete Macro-Element Method (DMEM) for predicting the nonlinear structural behaviour of masonry arches is proposed. The method is based on a macro-element discretization in which each plane element interacts with the adjacent elements through zero-thickness interfaces and whose internal deformability is related to a single degree of freedom only. Both experimental and numerical validations show the capability of the proposed approach to be applied for the prediction of the non-linear response of masonry arch structures under different loading conditions.
Deep Dive into A Discrete Macro-Element Method (DMEM) for the nonlinear structural assessment of masonry arches.
The structural response of masonry arches is strongly dominated by the arch geometry, the stone block dimensions and the interaction with backfill material or surrounding walls. Due to their intrinsic discontinuous nature, the nonlinear structural response of these key historical structures can be efficiently modelled in the context of discrete element approaches. Smeared crack finite elements models, based on the assumption of homogenised media and spread plasticity, fail to rigorously predict the actual collapse behaviour of such structures, that are generally governed by rocking and sliding mechanisms along mortar joints between stone blocks. In this paper a new Discrete Macro-Element Method (DMEM) for predicting the nonlinear structural behaviour of masonry arches is proposed. The method is based on a macro-element discretization in which each plane element interacts with the adjacent elements through zero-thickness interfaces and whose internal deformability is related to a single
Although arches, vaults and domes have been adopted since ancient ages [1] for engineering works, their complete structural assessment is not an easy task even today.
Masonry arches transmit the self-weight and the applied loads through load-paths that mainly involve compressive stresses by taking advantage of gravity loads through their own shape. The high nonlinearity, due to low-tensile resistance of masonry or to the presence of dry stone-interfaces, does not allow the assumption of linear elastic behaviour and leads to load dependent equilibrium solutions strongly related to the arch geometry and its supports conditions. A further very complex numerical issue is related to the presence of the backfill whose actual structural contribution is very difficult to model due to the non cohesive nature of the material generally adopted [2]. For this reason in many cases it is generally preferred to model the backfill structural role simply considering its stabilising effect related to its own weight and neglecting its mechanical contribution.
In the past, graphical based design approaches have been developed and widely used for the structural design and the construction of monumental structures [3]. However, these traditional methods, based on the concept of the line of thrust, are difficult to apply in presence of material nonlinearities and cyclic loads related to dynamic actions such as earthquakes. On the other hand, the potential availability of efficient and easy to apply numerical approaches could allow performing nonlinear structural analyses under different loading conditions, such as dynamic excitations or moving loads, these latter typical of masonry arch bridges.
The most important contributions to the understanding of the structural behaviour of stone and masonry arches were provided by Jacques Heyman in his famous treatises [3]- [7]. More recently, several numerical strategies have been proposed based on linear [8]- [11] or nonlinear Finite Element Models (FEM) [12], [13], or Discrete Element Method (DEM) [14], [15]. Sarhosis et al. [16] presented a three dimensional computational model, based on the DEM, which was used to investigate the effect of the angle of skew on the load carrying capacity of twenty-eight single span stone masonry arches with different geometric layouts.
Rizzi et al. [17] presented an analytical and numerical analysis of the classical Couplet-Heyman problem in the statics of circular masonry arches. Dimitri and Tornabene [18] developed an analytical model based on limit analysis for describing the stability of pointed and basket-handle arches and portals with respect to circular ones, for varying geometry parameters. They compared the predictions of the analytical model with results of numerical modelling by the classical DEM and obtained a satisfactory agreement showing the potentiality of the discrete element framework as a method of evaluating the quasi-static behaviour of unreinforced masonry structures.
In the context of the DEM strategies, Dimitri et al. [19] and De Lorenzis et al. [20], [21] investigated the important role of buttresses, in the dynamic field, considering several shapes of the buttress, typical of ancient constructions.
Gago et al. in [2], using modern structural analysis, explained the favourable effect of the extrados infill in the stability of arched structures also highlighting the high collapse risk related to the backfill removal.
Very recently Zhang et al [22] investigated the nonlinear response of brick-masonry arches, up to collapse, by using an accurate 3D meso-scale description utilising solid elements for representing brick units and 2D nonlinear interface elements for describing mortar joints and brick-mortar interfaces. The masonry meso-scale strategy has been also combined with an original domain partitioning approach that, allowing for parallel computation, leads to powerful high accurate computational tool applicable for large structures.
In this paper an innovative Discrete Macro-Element Method (DMEM), alternative to previously proposed approaches, for the simulation of the nonlinear behaviour of masonry arches is presented. The proposed approach takes advantage of the Discrete Element Method (DEM) strategies at a ‘macro-scale’. Differently from the classical DEM approach, in which each element is considered as a rigid body, in the proposed DMEM strategy each macro-element possesses a shear deformability allowing to identify shear diagonal local failure. This shear deformability is related to a single degree of freedom for each macro-element. The mechanical interaction among adjacent macro-elements is concentrated in zero-thickness interfaces distributed along the entire length of the contact edges. The computational cost of the proposed numerical approach is greatly reduced in comparison to that involved in detailed nonlinear finite element simulations or DEM strategies based on meso-scale discretizations.
The basic macro-e
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