The dynamic behavior of the Basilica of San Francesco of Assisi

During the 1997 Umbria-Marche earthquake, two of the vaults of the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi collapsed as a result of an 8.5 Mercalli-scale magnitude earthquake. The structure had endured stronger earthquakes for centuries before this earthquake, and there were likely many reasons for the collapse, such as damages accumulated from previous earthquakes. However, one of the factors that may have lead to the collapse is the modifications made to the structure over its lifetime, which could have made the basilica more susceptible to the 1997 earthquake. The basilica's roof has been subjected to three major alterations in its 760 year life. Each alteration changed the weight and stiffness properties of the roof and global dynamic behavior of the basilica. In this thesis, simple analytical models are employed to show trends in the structure's seismic response given the changes in stiffness and mass of the roof over the centuries. The findings of the analytical model suggest that the roof interventions have had the eect of decreasing the structure's fundamental period, and therefore, attracting more seismic forces to existing structural elements. The findings of this study are meant to educate preservation engineers for similar interventions in the future as well as address present day public safety issues regarding retrofitted historic structures. Keywords Basilica of San Francesco of Assisi, Historic Masonry Structures, Monumental Structures, Seismic Vulnerability, Seismic Retrofitting

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Piermarini, Emidio (Emidio Antonio)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• John Ochsendorf.

• Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82717

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/82717