In-plane strength of masonry walls is affected by the resistant mechanisms activated in the walls, i.e., related to flexural or shear behavior. The latter one can occur in the walls according to different failure modes depending on both mortar and unit strengths and on the type of assembling, i.e., ‘regular’ or ‘irregular’ texture. In this paper, a critical review of the existing design formulations for the in-plane strength of masonry walls is firstly presented, with important information on the achievable failure modes depending on the geometrical and mechanical features of the masonry fabric. Then, experimental tests are collected from the literature and a comparison between theoretical and experimental results is carried out. The presented analyses are aimed to highlight the differences between the existing formulations and to identify the most suitable ones.

This paper presents the results of several numerical analyses aimed at investigating the in-plane resistance of masonry walls by means of two modelling approaches: a finite element model (FEM) and a discrete macro-element model (DMEM). Non-linear analyses are developed, in both cases, by changing the mechanical properties of masonry (compressive and tensile strengths, fracture energy in compression and tension, shear strength) and the value of the vertical compression stress applied on the walls. The reliability of both numerical models is firstly checked by means of comparisons with experimental tests available in the literature. The analyses show that the numerical results provided by the two modelling approaches are in good agreement, in terms of both failure loads and modes, while some differences are observed in their load-displacement curves, especially in the non-linear field. Finally, the numerical in-plane resistances are compared with the theoretical formulations provided by the Italian building code for both flexural and shear failure modes and an amendment for the shape factor ‘b’ introduced in the code formulation for squat walls is proposed.

Increasing interest has recently been devoted to interlocking blocks/interfaces capable to enhance the sliding resistance of masonry joints to external forces. In this framework, this paper deals with the assessment of the torsion-shear capacity of the contact interface between the lock and the main body of an interlocking block, assumed to have a cohesive behaviour. The interlocking block is a rigid unit which, on its faces, have square cuboidal locks keeping the adjacent/overlapped blocks together and preventing blocks from sliding. Two numerical approaches and a novel ad hoc experimental investigation are proposed to simulate the torsion-shear behaviour by applying eccentrical shear forces to the lock. First, concave, convex and corrected concave formulations provided by the literature for assemblages of rigid blocks with conventional planar joints are extended to model the interlocking block behaviour. Then, according to a second approach based on the discrete element method, the concave-shaped interlocking block is modelled by convex polyhedrons representing the lock and the main body of the block, considered as individual rigid units stacked over each other with a cohesive contact in between. A novel experimental investigation on the limiting pure shear and torsion-shear combinations at the lock interface made of cohesive material is also presented. Two different mortars were chosen to make the specimens, which were casted using 3D printed moulds, and different test configurations were set up to simulate shear and torsion-shear failures. The analytical and numerical results are compared with each other and against the experimental ones, with interesting remarks on the application of the different approaches.

The concept of vulnerability of the existing building stock is receiving increasing awareness and central importance in the scientific community working in earthquake risk mitigation. This assumes even more relevance when dealing with heritage structures located in relevant seismic hazard zones. This paper aims to identify and describe the earthquake-resistant features found in a unique masonry church in Ischia (Italy), and discuss their effectiveness on the impact of the post-seismic damage through the application of non-linear static analyses. The Santa Maria Maddalena Church represents one of the rare examples in which the technology of the Borbonic casa Baraccata (mixed timber−masonry construction), already well-known in the literature for its use in Italian seismic areas since the eighteenth century, is applied with the non-conventional combination of masonry and iron frames. The church was struck by the recent earthquake of 21 August 2017 with epicentre in Casamicciola Terme. The recorded post-seismic damage of the church evidenced non-relevant structural crack patterns, which are likely to be related to the efficacy of the construction system adopted.

The evaluation of the seismic safety of ancient masonry buildings usually requires compounding the need of preservation of the historical values with the need of achieving a proper level of knowledge of the parameters influencing their structural behaviour. To this aim, non-destructive techniques of instrumental investigation have lately attracted increasing attention, although the provided data are frequently not exhaustive and require to be integrated with different sources of information, such as historical documents and hypotheses of critical interpretation. Therefore, the management of this multi-source information is a crucial aspect in defining a methodological approach to the structural evaluation of the cultural heritage. This paper describes an integrated approach developed in the framework of the Project on the seismic evaluation of the Museum of Capodimonte in Naples (Italy) with reference to the typological identification of the horizontal structures at the first level of the building. The management of the data derived from the application of the infrared thermography, integrated with the information from the visual inspections, the architectural survey and the historic analysis, has allowed obtaining a complete characterization of the structures under study.