A Procedure to Investigate the Collapse Behavior of Masonry Domes: Some Meaningful Cases

Masonry domes represent an important part of the architectural heritage. However, the literature about domes analysis seems less consistent than that referred to other masonry structures. The collapses that have happened in recent years as a consequence of seismic actions or lack of maintenance show the need for detailed studies. Here a limit analysis to evaluate the masonry domes behavior is presented. An algorithm based on the kinematic approach has been developed to evaluate the geometric position of the hinges that determine the minimum collapse load multiplier. The proposed procedure is validated by a comparison with some meaningful cases—the collapse of Anime Sante Church in L’Aquila, the collapse of San Nicolò Cathedral in Noto, the crack pattern of San Carlo Alle Quattro Fontane Church in Rome, and the analysis developed on Hagia Sofia in Istanbul. The comparison with real cases shows a good agreement between the model results and the phenomenological crack patterns.