scholarly journals FE vs. DE Modeling for the Nonlinear Dynamics of a Historic Church in Central Italy

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 189
Author(s):  
Angela Ferrante ◽  
Ersilia Giordano ◽  
Francesco Clementi ◽  
Gabriele Milani ◽  
Antonio Formisano

The present research paper properly focuses on the dynamics and failure mechanisms of the masonry “Apennine Church” of Santissimo Crocifisso in Pretare, municipality of Arquata del Tronto in the province of Ascoli Piceno (Marche region, Central Italy). Such a peculiar structural type traditionally characterizes the intense seismic area of Central Italy, unfortunately almost totally damaged by the recent shock sequence of 2016. Advanced numerical modeling through discontinuous and continuous approaches were here utilized to have an insight into the dynamic properties and behavior of the structure under strong nonlinear dynamic excitations. In the discrete element approach, the non-smooth contact dynamics method, implemented in LMGC90©, was applied, adopting a full 3D detailed discretization. The church was schematized as an arrangement of rigid blocks, subjected to sliding by friction and perfect plastic collisions, with a null restitution coefficient. In the finite element approach, the concrete damaged plasticity model available in Midas FEA NX© was involved. This model allows reproducing the tensile cracking, the compressive crushing, and the degradation of the material under cyclic loads. Finally, the numerical analyses provided a valuable picture of the actual behavior of the church, thus giving useful hints for future strengthening interventions.

2019 ◽  
Vol 817 ◽  
pp. 309-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Ferrante ◽  
Elisa Ribilotta ◽  
Ersilia Giordano ◽  
Francesco Clementi ◽  
Stefano Lenci

The dynamic behaviour and the seismic vulnerability of different masonry “Apennine Churches”, dramatically damaged by the last shocks sequence of 2016 that occurred in Central Italy, have been studied in this paper by means of advanced 3D numerical analyses with the Discrete Element Method (DEM). Thus, a discontinuous approach has been used to assess the dynamic properties and the vulnerability of the masonry structure, through large deformations regulated by the Signorini’s law, concerning the impenetrability between the rigid bodies, and by the Coulomb’s law, regarding the dry-friction model. The major purpose of this study is to highlight that relevant data on the real structural behaviour of historical masonry can be provided through advanced numerical analyses. The comparison between the results of the numerical simulation and the survey of the existing crack pattern of the churches permitted to validate the used approach. Finally, from the results and conclusions of these cases study, it is possible to affirm that the used methodology can be applied to a wide variety of historical masonry structure in Europe.


Author(s):  
G. Castellazzi ◽  
B. Pantò ◽  
G. Occhipinti ◽  
D. A. Talledo ◽  
L. Berto ◽  
...  

AbstractThe paper presents the comparison of the results obtained on a masonry building by nonlinear static analysis using different software operating in the field of continuum and discrete-macroelement modeling. The structure is inspired by an actual building, the "P. Capuzi" school in Visso (Macerata, Italy), seriously damaged following the seismic events that affected Central Italy from August 2016 to January 2017. The activity described is part of a wider research program carried out by various units involved in the ReLUIS 2017/2108—Masonry Structures project and having as its object the analysis of benchmark structures for the evaluation of the reliability of software packages. The comparison of analysis was carried out in relation to: global parameters (concerning the dynamic properties, capacity curves and, equivalent bilinear curves), synthetic parameters of structural safety (such as, for example, the maximum acceleration compatible with the life safety limit state) and the response in terms of simulated damage. The results allow for some insights on the use of continuum and discrete-macroelement modeling, with respect to the dispersion of the results and on the potential repercussions in the professional field. This response was also analyzed considering different approaches for the application of loads.


1982 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 243-260
Author(s):  
Diana M. Webb

In his excellent study of medieval Italian society, Hyde makes a thought-provoking comparison of ‘the Italians of the age of Dante’ with the humanists of a later generation. The former he sees as distinguished by ‘a sense of continuity with the past and with other parts of the Catholic world’ from the humanists who ‘concentrated on what was close at hand, digging deep rather than spreading wide, so that their world revolved around central Italy.’ It is not my intention here to dispute this assertion, but to use it to stimulate reflection on the nature of Italian self-awareness in the early renaissance period, in the light of a further contrast between Hyde’s two ages which he does not himself emphasise.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-228
Author(s):  
A.M. Shcherbakova ◽  
N.S. Lykova

The article focuses on the problem of development of moral sphere of personality of children with intellectual disability (mild mental retardation) in the context of development of their life competence. Personal outcomes are considered as one of the most important indicators of the formation of life competence. Particular attention is paid to the moral development of children with intellectual disability. The results of an experimental study of the characteristics of moral perceptions and behavior of younger students with mental retardation of 9-10 years old brought up in different conditions - family and institutional are presented. Students of a comprehensive school with a normotypic development were also involved. The sample was 76 people. A study was made of the moral position, and on this basis the prediction of one's own behavior and the behavior of others in solving moral dilemmas, as well as the actual behavior of the child in a situation of moral choice.


2016 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arrigo Caserta ◽  
Fawzi Doumaz ◽  
Antonio Costanzo ◽  
Anna Gervasi ◽  
William Thorossian ◽  
...  

<p><em>We used the moderate-magnitude aftershocks succeeding to the 2016 August 24<sup>th</sup>, Mw = 6.0, Amatrice (Italy) mainshok to asses, specially during an ongoing seismic sequence, the soil-structure interaction where cultural Heritage is involved. We have chosen as case study the</em><em> San Giovanni Battista</em><em> church (A.D. 1039)  in Acquasanta Terme town, about 20 Km northeast of Amatrice. First of all we studied the soil shaking features in order to characterize the input to the monument. Then, using the recordings in the church, we tried to figure out  how the input seismic energy is distributed over the different monument parts. Some preliminary results are shown and discussed.</em></p><p><em><br /></em></p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-19
Author(s):  
Robert E Aronson

Disparities in population health statuses are tied to inequities in society, and not just differences in personal decision-making and behavior.  Christians should (and must) play a role in confronting these inequities, based upon three biblical themes: 1) the instructions in the book of Leviticus regarding the Sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee as a way to protect the economic system from producing insurmountable inequities and degrading the environment; 2) the eschatological image of the New Jerusalem in the book of Isaiah, with its focus on Shalom in contrast to a religion focused on personal piety in the face of oppression and social injustice; and 3) Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom, which include its imminence and the counter-cultural nature of its ethic.  The notion of the kingdom can be applied in the lives of Christians (particularly those involved in public health) through individual acts, corporate acts in the context of the church, and state-led actions to bring about social change to achieve social justice. Social change can be described as an act of reconciliation in which systems of society are redeemed by the power of kingdom principles.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 190-211
Author(s):  
Anna V. Ermishina ◽  
Lyudmila V. Klimenko

This article analyzes the Russian people’s projective attitudes and behavior practices when it comes to participating in the funding and organizing of major renovations of apartment buildings. The empirical base for the study consists of data from sociological surveys conducted by VCIOM (2015-2020), the Institute of Sociology of the RAS (2003-2019), FOM (2015), Levada Center (2019), The European Social Survey (2016, 2018), as well as the authors’ own expert interviews conducted in 2020. The need to ensure the safety of housing, the complexity and high cost of renovations is a reasonable explanation for government interference in this sector. Russia’s housing legislature assigns responsibility for maintaining and renovating common property to apartment owners, while also stipulating a funding procedure for major renovations based on deposits made by property owners. The system currently in place in Russia for funding and organizing major renovations, which implies the existence of both a “common reserve” and “special accounts” for regulated property owner contributions (that resemble a tax), is far from perfect, it being associated with such issues as a lack of funding, low quality of major renovations, susceptibility to corruption, owners having insufficient control when it comes to decision making. While analyzing material from all-Russian and regional empirical studies, the gap becomes evident between projective attitudes and the actual behavior of Russian people in the realm of major renovations. Despite a marked critical attitude when it comes to evaluating utility service quality, not to mention the “common reserve” model (which is a way of pulling together funds for major renovations and keeping them on the regional operator’s account) being regarded as socially unjust, nevertheless property owners demonstrate a low degree of civic self-organization and meager capability when it comes to taking collective action (as in participating in apartment complex meetings to discuss major renovations, creating and transferring money to dedicated accounts, keeping track of the major renovation process etc.). The reasons why property owners are so slow to develop any efficiency largely lie in the specifics of the institutional collective decision-making environment in regards to the funding and execution of local public property renovation, which also includes major renovations of apartment buildings.


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