Analysis of Masonry Block Structures with Unilateral Frictional Joints

Masonry constructions dry-assembled and composed of rigid blocks, such as most of the ruins in archaeological sites, can be categorized into two groups: structures in which equilibrium is mainly assured by the compression force in correspondence to the joints and structures that rely on the presence of friction between blocks. In this paper a mechanical model and a numerical procedure are proposed to analyze both types of structures, but the second ones are emphasized. The numerical examples described prove the reliability of the approach proposed.