Dynamic analysis of age-old masonry constructions

The paper deals with numerical solution of dynamic problems of masonry structures. Masonry is modelled as a non-linear elastic material. Due to the non-linearity of the constitutive relation, the equations of the motion are integrated directly, via the Newmark method. Herein, we describe the results of analyses conducted using the NOSA code on the dome and tambour of the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Morano Calabro. At first, the structure, clamped at its base, is in static equilibrium under its own weight. A cyclic horizontal acceleration is then assigned to the bottom of the tambour for a given time span and the structure left to oscillate freely. The different results obtained using non-linear and linear constitutive equations are compared.