Performance of a Far-Field Historical Church during the 2016–2017 Central Italy Earthquakes
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 33, Issue 2
Abstract
Churches are an essential part of the historical and architectural heritage of several countries, and various earthquakes have highlighted the significant seismic vulnerability of ancient religious buildings. On August 24, 2016, a seismic sequence started in Central Italy with a magnitude 6.0 event. Nine events with magnitude ≥ 5.0 occurred between that date and January 18, 2017. Heritage churches were tremendously affected by the sequence, suffering relevant structural and nonstructural damage even far from the epicenters, as in the case of the fourteenth century church of San Francesco in the city of Amandola. The church was inspected several times during the sequence, and a survey was performed using an innovative structure-from-motion digital photogrammetric technique. Ambient vibration tests were carried out on the bell tower before and after the main event of the sequence, and the tower elastic behavior was reproduced by means of a three-dimensional finite-element model. Observed structural performance was interpreted in light of estimated ground motion and literature-obtained models for local mechanisms, with special emphasis on belfry and façade response, and a formula was proposed to account for frictional interlocking between orthogonal walls. Finally, recommendations were developed for troublesome nonstructural deficiencies.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the kind assistance of the municipality of Amandola and its mayor, Engineer Adolfo Marinangeli, for access to the building and to documentation about past and current damage. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the municipality of Amandola.
References
AlShawa, O., L. Sorrentino, and D. Liberatore. 2017. “Simulation of shake table tests on out-of-plane masonry buildings. Part (II): Combined finite-discrete elements.” Int. J. Archit. Heritage 11 (1): 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2016.1237588.
Andreotti, C., D. Liberatore, and L. Sorrentino. 2015. “Identifying seismic local collapse mechanisms in unreinforced masonry buildings through 3D laser scanning.” Key Eng. Mater. 628: 79–84. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.628.79.
Antonelli, M. 1995. Amandola e il suo territorio. Ascoli Piceno, Italy: Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ascoli Piceno.
Augenti, N., and F. Parisi. 2010. “Learning from construction failures due to the 2009 L’Aquila, Italy, Earthquake.” J. Perform. Constr. Facil. 24 (6): 536–555. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000122.
Barazzetti, L., L. Binda, M. Scaioni, and P. Taranto. 2011. “Photogrammetric survey of complex geometries with low-cost software: Application to the ‘G1’ temple in Myson, Vietnam.” J. Cult. Heritage 12 (3): 253–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2010.12.004.
Bayraktar, A., A. C. Altunişik, B. Sevim, and T. Türker. 2011. “Seismic response of a historical masonry minaret using a finite element model updated with operational modal testing.” J. Vib. Control 17 (1): 129–149. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077546309353288.
Bendat, J. S., and A. G. Piersol. 2010. Random data: Analysis and measurement procedures. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Borcherdt, R. D. 1970. “Effects of local geology on ground motion near San Francisco Bay.” Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 60 (1): 29–61.
Bosiljkov, V., V. Bokan-Bosiljkov, B. Strah, J. Velkavr, and P. Cotič. 2010. Review of innovative techniques for the knowledge of cultural assets. Deliverable D6. Ljubljana, Slovenia: Univ. of Ljubljana.
Brando, G., et al. 2017. “Damage reconnaissance of unreinforced masonry bearing wall buildings after the 2015 Gorkha, Nepal, Earthquake.” Supplement, Earthquake Spectra 33 (S1): S243–S273. https://doi.org/10.1193/010817EQS009M.
Cattari, S., S. Resemini, and S. Lagomarsino. 2008. “Modelling of vaults as equivalent diaphragms in 3D seismic analysis of masonry buildings.” In Proc., Sixth Int. Conf. on Structural Analysis of Historic Construction: Preserving Safety and Significance, edited by D. D’Ayala and E. Fodde, 517–524. London: Taylor & Francis.
CEN (European Committee for Standardization). 2005. Eurocode 6: Design of masonry structures. Part 1-1: Common rules for reinforced and unreinforced masonry structures. EC6-1-1. Brussels, Belgium: CEN.
Chiaraluce, L., et al. 2017. “The 2016 central Italy seismic sequence: A first look at the mainshocks, aftershocks, and source models.” Seismol. Res. Lett. 88 (3): 757–771. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220160221.
CMIT (Circolare del Ministro delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti). 2009. Circolare del Ministro delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti 2 febbraio 2009, n. 617, contenente le Istruzioni per l’applicazione delle “Nuove norme tecniche per le costruzioni” di cui al DM 14 gennaio 2008. Roma, Italy: Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti.
Cotič, P., Z. Jagličić, and V. Bosiljkov. 2014. “Validation of non-destructive characterization of the structure and seismic damage propagation of plaster and texture in multi-leaf stone masonry walls of cultural-artistic value.” J. Cult. Heritage 15 (5): 490–498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2013.11.004.
Croci, G. 1998. The conservation and structural restoration of architectural heritage. Southampton, UK: Computational Mechanics.
CSI (Computers and Structures Inc). 2016. SAP2000: Analysis reference manual. Berkeley, CA: CSI.
Curti, E., S. Podestà, and L. Scandolo. 2012. “Simplified mechanical model for the seismic vulnerability evaluation of belfries.” Int. J. Archit. Heritage Conserv. Anal. Restor. 6 (6): 605–625. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2011.594932.
da Porto, F., B. Silva, C. Costa, and C. Modena. 2012. “Macro-scale analysis of damage to churches after earthquake in Abruzzo (Italy) on April 6, 2009.” J. Earthquake Eng. 16 (6): 739–758. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632469.2012.685207.
De Matteis, G., E. Criber, and G. Brando. 2016. “Damage probability matrices for three-nave masonry churches in Abruzzi After the 2009 L’Aquila Earthquake.” Int. J. Archit. Heritage 10 (2–3): 120–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2015.1113340.
De Matteo, G. 1990. Amandola: appunti di viaggio. Viterbo, Italy: Agnesotti.
Dérobert, X., P. Côte, N. Delinikolas, and A. Miltiadou-Fezans. 2004. “Expected performances for mosaic-grouting monitoring by GPR.” In Proc., Tenth Int. Conf. on Ground Penetrating Radar, GPR 2004, 363–366. Hague, Netherlands: TNO-FEL.
DMI (Decreto del Ministro delle Infrastrutture). 2008. Decreto del Ministro delle Infrastrutture 14 gennaio 2008. Approvazione delle nuove norme tecniche per le costruzioni. Roma, Italy: Ministero delle Infrastrutture.
Doglioni, F., A. Moretti, and V. Petrini. 1994. Le chiese e il terremoto. Dalla vulnerabilità constatata nel terremoto del Friuli al miglioramento antisismico nel restauro. Verso una politica di prevenzione. Trieste, Italy: Lint Editoriale Associati.
DPCM (Direttiva del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri). 2011a. Decreto del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri 5 maggio 2011. Approvazione del modello per il rilevamento dei danni, pronto intervento e agibilità per edifici ordinari nell’emergenza post-sismica e del relativo manuale di compilazione. Roma, Italy: Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri.
DPCM (Direttiva del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri). 2011b. Direttiva del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri del 9 febbraio 2011. Valutazione e riduzione del rischio sismico del patrimonio culturale con riferimento alle Norme tecniche per le costruzioni di cui al decreto del Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei. Roma, Italy: Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri.
Fäcke, A., S. Parolai, S. M. Richwalski, and L. Stempniewski. 2006. “Assessing the vibrational frequencies of the Cathedral of Cologne (Germany) by means of ambient seismic noise analysis.” Nat. Hazard. 38 (1–2): 229–236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-005-8616-2.
Gentile, C., M. Guidobaldi, and A. Saisi. 2016. “One-year dynamic monitoring of a historic tower: damage detection under changing environment.” Meccanica 51 (11): 2873–2889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11012-016-0482-3.
Gentile, C., and A. Saisi. 2007. “Ambient vibration testing of historic masonry towers for structural identification and damage assessment.” Constr. Build. Mater. 21 (6): 1311–1321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2006.01.007.
Gentile, C., A. Saisi, and A. Cabboi. 2015. “Structural identification of a masonry tower based on operational modal analysis.” Int. J. Archit. Heritage 9 (2): 98–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2014.951792.
Giovannacci, D., D. Brissaud, J.-D. Mertz, K. Mouhoubi, and J.-L. Bodnar. 2017. “Nonintrusive tools to detect salts contamination in masonry: Case study of Fontaine-Chaalis church.” In Proc., SPIE, 1033103. Bellingham, WA: Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.
Giraud, F., K. Jacquot, C. Chevrier, and G. Halin. 2013. “Acquire high quality meshes of scale models for an automatic modelling process.” Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci. ISPRS Arch. XL-5/W2: 277–282. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XL-5-W2-277-2013.
Giresini, L., M. Fragiacomo, and P. B. Lourenço. 2015. “Comparison between rocking analysis and kinematic analysis for the dynamic out-of-plane behavior of masonry walls.” Earthquake Eng. Struct. Dyn. 44 (13): 2359–2376. https://doi.org/10.1002/eqe.2592.
Giuffrè, A. 1993. Sicurezza e conservazione dei centri storici: il caso Ortigia. Bari, Italy: Laterza.
Gizzi, F. T., N. Masini, M. Sileo, C. Zotta, M. Scavone, M. R. Potenza, D. Liberatore, L. Sorrentino, and M. Bruno. 2014. “Building features and safeguard of church towers in Basilicata (southern Italy).” In Proc., 2nd Int. Congress on Science and Technology for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, 369–374. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Goded, T., J. Irizarry, and E. Buforn. 2012. “Vulnerability and risk analysis of monuments in Malaga city’s historical centre (southern Spain).” Bull. Earthquake Eng. 10 (3): 839–861. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-011-9321-z.
INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia). 2016a. “Event 7073641 on 24 Aug 2016, peak ground acceleration.” Accessed April 16, 2018. http://shakemap.rm.ingv.it/shake/7073641/pga.html.
INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia). 2016b. “Event 8669321 on 26 Oct 2016, peak ground acceleration.” Accessed April 16, 2018. http://shakemap.rm.ingv.it/shake/8669321/intensity.html.
INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia). 2016c. “Event 8863681 on 30 Oct 2016, peak ground acceleration.” Accessed April 16, 2018. http://shakemap.rm.ingv.it/shake/8863681/pga.html.
Kersten, T., K. Mechelke, and L. Maziull. 2015. “3D model of Al Zubarah fortress in Qatar—Terrestrial laser scanning vs. dense image matching.” Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci. ISPRS Arch. XL-5/W2: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XL-5-W4-1-2015.
Lagomarsino, S. 2012. “Damage assessment of churches after L’Aquila earthquake (2009).” Bull. Earthquake Eng. 10 (1): 73–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-011-9307-x.
Lagomarsino, S., A. Brencich, F. Bussolino, A. Moretti, L. C. Pagnini, and S. Podesta’. 1997. “Una nuova metodologia per il rilievo del danno alle chiese: Prime considerazioni sui meccanismi attivati dal sisma.” Ingegneria Sismica 14 (3): 70–82.
Lagomarsino, S., and S. Podestà. 2004. “Damage and vulnerability assessment of churches after the 2002 Molise, Italy, earthquake.” Supplement, Earthquake Spectra 20 (S1): S271–S283. https://doi.org/10.1193/1.1767161.
La Repubblica. 2018. “Roma, cadono calcinacci nella Basilica di San Pietro.” La Repubblica. Accessed April 19, 2018. https://roma.repubblica.it/cronaca/2018/03/29/news/roma_cadono_calcinacci_nella_basilica_di_san_pietro-192538423/.
Leite, J., P. B. Lourenco, and J. M. Ingham. 2013. “Statistical assessment of damage to churches affected by the 2010–2011 Canterbury (New Zealand) earthquake sequence.” J. Earthquake Eng. 17 (1): 73–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632469.2012.713562.
Liberatore, D., N. Masini, L. Sorrentino, V. Racina, M. Sileo, O. AlShawa, and L. Frezza. 2016. “Static penetration test for historical masonry mortar.” Constr. Build. Mater. 122: 810–822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.07.097.
Livaoğlu, R., M. H. Baştürk, A. Doğangün, and C. Serhatoğlu. 2016. “Effect of geometric properties on dynamic behavior of historic masonry minaret.” KSCE J. Civ. Eng. 20 (6): 2392–2402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-016-0622-2.
Locati, M., et al. 2016. DBMI15, the 2015 version of the Italian Macroseismic Database. Roma, Italy: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia.
Ludwig, N., and E. Rosina. 2005. “Dynamic IRT for the frescoes assessment, the study case of Danza Macabra in Clusone (Italy).” In Proc., SPIE Int. Society for Optical Engineering, 272–279. Bellingham, WA: Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.
Marotta, A., A. Ruccolo, S. Beskhyroun, L. Sorrentino, D. Liberatore, and J. M. Ingham. 2018a. “Ambient vibration tests on New Zealand unreinforced masonry churches using low cost sensors.” In Proc., 10th Int. Masonry Conf., 2319–2327. Stoke-on-Trent, UK: International Masonry Society.
Marotta, A., L. Sorrentino, D. Liberatore, and J. M. Ingham. 2017. “Vulnerability assessment of unreinforced masonry churches following the 2010–2011 Canterbury (New Zealand) earthquake sequence.” J. Earthquake Eng. 21 (6): 912–934. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632469.2016.1206761.
Marotta, A., L. Sorrentino, D. Liberatore, and J. M. Ingham. 2018d. “Seismic risk assessment of New Zealand unreinforced masonry churches using statistical procedures.” Int. J. Archit. Heritage 12 (3): 448–464. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2017.1323242.
Mastrodicasa, S. 1993. Dissesti statici delle strutture edilizie: diagnosi, consolidamento, istituzioni teoriche, applicazioni pratiche. Milano, Italy: U. Hoepli.
Milani, G. 2013. “Lesson learned after the Emilia-Romagna, Italy, 20–29 May 2012 earthquakes: A limit analysis insight on three masonry churches.” Eng. Fail. Anal. 34: 761–778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2013.01.001.
Milani, G., and G. Venturini. 2013. “Safety assessment of four masonry churches by a plate and shell FE nonlinear approach.” J. Perform. Constr. Facil. 27 (1): 27–42. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000321.
Montilla, P., A. Uzcategui, and S. Hernandez. 1996. “Damages occurred to churches due to the earthquake of February 8, 1995 in Pereira, Colombia.” In Proc., 11th World Conf. on Earthquake Engineering. Tokyo: International Association for Earthquake Engineering.
Mugnaini, M. 2017. “Firenze, cade capitello nella Basilica di Santa Croce: muore turista spagnolo di 52 anni.” La Repubblica. Accessed April 16, 2018. https://firenze.repubblica.it/cronaca/2017/10/19/news/firenze_cade_cornicione_a_santa_croce_c_e_una_vittima-178731966.
Munari, M., G. Bettiol, F. da Porto, L. Milano, and C. Modena. 2010. Esempio di calcolo su rafforzamento locale di edifici in muratura con tiranti. Allegato alle Linee Guida per la Riparazione e il Rafforzamento di Elementi Strutturali, Tamponature e Partizioni. Napoli, Italy: ReLUIS.
Pantò, B., L. Giresini, M. Sassu, and I. Caliò. 2017. “Non-linear modeling of masonry churches through a discrete macro-element approach.” Earthquake Struct. 12 (2): 223–236. https://doi.org/10.12989/eas.2017.12.2.223.
Proietti, G. 1994. “Dopo la polvere”—rilevazione degli interventi di recupero (1985-1989) del patrimonio artistico-monumentale danneggiato dal terremoto del 1980–1981. Roma: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato.
Ramos, L. F., R. Aguilar, P. B. Lourenço, and S. Moreira. 2013. “Dynamic structural health monitoring of Saint Torcato church.” Mech. Syst. Signal Process. 35 (1–2): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymssp.2012.09.007.
Ramos, L. F., L. Marques, P. B. Lourenço, G. De Roeck, A. Campos-Costa, and J. Roque. 2010. “Monitoring historical masonry structures with operational modal analysis: Two case studies.” Mech. Syst. Signal Process. 24 (5): 1291–1305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymssp.2010.01.011.
ReLUIS. 2017. “Aggiornamento attività ReLUIS Terremoto Italia Centrale del 24 marzo 2017.” Accessed April 16, 2018. http://www.reluis.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=547%3Aaggiornamento-attivita-reluis-terremoto-italia-centrale-del-24-marzo-2017&catid=80%3Aterremoto-italia-centrale-2016&Itemid=195&lang=it.
Rovida, A., M. Locati, R. Camassi, B. Lolli, and P. Gasperini. 2016. CPTI15, the 2015 version of the Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes. Roma, Italy: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia.
Saisi, A., C. Gentile, and M. Guidobaldi. 2015. “Post-earthquake continuous dynamic monitoring of the Gabbia Tower in Mantua, Italy.” Constr. Build. Mater. 81: 101–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.02.010.
Sieberg, A. 1930. “Geologie der Erdbeben.” In Handbuch der Geophysik, edited by B. Gutenberg, 526–686. Berlin: Gebruder Borntraeger.
Sofronie, R. 1982. “Behaviour of Eastern Churches in Earthquakes.” In Proc., 7th European Conf. on Earthquake Engineering, 287–294. Istanbul, Turkey: European Association for Earthquake Engineering.
Sorrentino, L., O. Alshawa, and D. Liberatore. 2014. “Observations of out-of-plane rocking in the oratory of san Giuseppe dei Minimi during the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake.” Appl. Mech. Mater. 621: 101–106. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.621.101.
Sorrentino, L., D. Bruccoleri, and M. Antonini. 2008. “Structural interpretation of post-earthquake (19th century) retrofitting on the Santa Maria degli Angeli Basilica, Assisi, Italy.” In Proc., 6th Int. Conf. on Structural Analysis of Historic Construction, 217–225. London: Taylor & Francis.
Sorrentino, L., S. Cattari, F. da Porto, G. Magenes, and A. Penna. 2018. “Seismic behaviour of ordinary masonry buildings during the 2016 central Italy earthquakes.” Bull. Earthquake Eng. 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-018-0370-4.
Sorrentino, L., D. D’Ayala, G. de Felice, M. C. Griffith, S. Lagomarsino, and G. Magenes. 2017a. “Review of out-of-plane seismic assessment techniques applied to existing masonry buildings.” Int. J. Archit. Heritage 11 (1): 2–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2016.1237586.
Sorrentino, L., M. Doria, and V. Tassi. 2017b. “Performance of the church of San Francesco in Amandola during the 2016-2017 central Italy seismic sequence.” In Proc., 2nd Int. Conf. on Recent Advances in Nonlinear Models—Design and Rehabilitation of Structures, 63–72. Barcelona, Spain: ECCOMAS.
Sorrentino, L., and C. Tocci. 2008. “The structural strengthening of early and mid 20th century reinforced concrete diaphragms.” In Proc., Sixth Int. Conf. on Structural Analysis of Historic Construction, 1431–1439. London: Taylor & Francis.
Tertulliani, A., and R. Azzaro. 2016. QUEST—Rilievo macrosismico per i terremoti nell’Italia centrale. Aggiornamento dopo le scosse del 26 e 30 ottobre 2016. Roma, Italy: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia.
Turnsek, V., and F. Cacovic. 1970. “Some experimental results on the strength of brick masonry walls.” In Proc., 2nd Int. Brick Masonry Conference, Stoke-on-Trent, 149–156. Stoke-on-Trent, UK: British Ceramic Research Association.
Uniform Building Code. 1997. International conference of building official. Whittier, CA: American Association of Building Officials.
Walsh, K. Q., P. A. Cummuskey, R. Jafarzadeh, and J. M. Ingham. 2017. “Rapid identification and taxonomical classification of structural seismic attributes in a regionwide commercial building stock.” J. Perform. Constr. Facil. 31 (1): 04016067. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000927.
Weritz, F., R. Arndt, M. Röllig, C. Maierhofer, and H. Wiggenhauser. 2005. “Investigation of concrete structures with pulse phase thermography.” Mater. Struct. 38 (283): 843–849. https://doi.org/10.1617/14299.
Wilson, C. C. 2009. “Il polittico di Vittore Crivelli per l’altare maggiore di San Francesco in Amandola.” Arte Veneta 66: 6–15.
Zanotti Fragonara, L., G. Boscato, R. Ceravolo, S. Russo, S. Ientile, M. L. Pecorelli, and A. Quattrone. 2017. “Dynamic investigation on the Mirandola bell tower in post-earthquake scenarios.” Bull. Earthquake Eng. 15 (1): 313–337. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-016-9970-z.
Zucconi, M., L. Sorrentino, and R. Ferlito. 2017. “Principal component analysis for a seismic usability model of unreinforced masonry buildings.” Soil Dyn. Earthquake Eng. 96: 64–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soildyn.2017.02.014.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 33 • Issue 2 • April 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 17, 2018
Accepted: Sep 10, 2018
Published online: Feb 11, 2019
Published in print: Apr 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Jul 11, 2019
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.