Full-scale dynamic measurements system for FE-model updating of masonry buildings aggregates

Masonry building aggregates represent a recurrent structural typology of historic centers, which has shown several damages during earthquake events. Thus, improving the seismic behavior of building aggregates takes on great importance not only to increase the safety of their occupants but also to reduce the losses on their cultural and artistic value. Unfortunately, the lack of information about their structural characteristics (material properties, connections between structural elements, etc.) prevents the set-up of suitable models without calibrations through the results of measurements on the real structure, as commonly done for other structural typologies. With the aim of improving the predictions of finite element (FE) models of masonry building aggregates, this study reports the results of a preliminary research activity developed within S-MoSES project (Smart Monitoring for Safety of Existing Structures and Infrastructures). A three-dimensional FE model with solid elements of a portion of a masonry building aggregate has been set-up to obtain valuable information for the design of a monitoring system. The sensor network, once installed on the building aggregate, will be used in subsequent research activities of S-MoSES project to develop a procedure for the FE model updating.