The structural assessment of masonry construction often requires the use of nonlinear 2D and 3D finite element analysis. This work describes a strategy for using energy outputs from such analyses to accurately assess failure conditions precipitated by increasing lateral load. The methodology relies on the analogy between plastic strains and fracture that is inherent to the concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) macro-model used to represent the quasi-brittle behavior of masonry material. At critical conditions, energy imparted to a structure by loading can no longer be completely stored as elastic strain energy and must be dissipated. This occurs with fractures in masonry, which are represented with plastic strains when using CDP material. The development of plastic dissipation energy can therefore be used as a measure for understanding the progressive collapse of a structure, as we illustrate with the following three case studies analyzed using Abaqus/CAE Explicit: the massive earthen pyramid at Huaca de la Luna (Trujillo, Peru), the Roman pozzolanic concrete vault of Diocletian’s Frigidarium (Rome, Italy), and the mixed-material triumphal arch of the San Pedro Apóstol Church of Andahuaylillas (Peru). The method is verified by other measures of failure and has particular applicability for seismic analysis of complex masonry and earthen structures.

Low-carbon steel has been widely used in various industrial applications and undergoes different surface treatments in contemporary practices to enhance wear resistance, corrosion resistance and hardness. Wear is a primary cause of damage to machine components under varying conditions like temperature, humidity, load and speed. This study focuses on improving wear resistance through coating applications. A reciprocal tribological test was conducted under a 30 N load with a 57.5 m sliding distance at 2500 cycles and 20 mm/s sliding speed. Two coatings, AISI 316L austenitic and AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel were applied using the HVOF method and subjected to plasma nitriding at 450 and 500 °C. Tests verified that the HVOF sprayed AISI 316L stainless steel coating nitrided at 450 °C offers the best wear resistance.