Structural Analysis, Structural Insights, and Historical Interpretation

Mainstone, Rowland J.

doi:10.2307/991244

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Nowadays, the standard tool used by engineers for the analysis of structures is FEA software. As many other researchers, the author is convinced of the interest to use limit analysis for the analysis of masonry structures (for reasons very clearly exposed by Mainstone (Mainstone 1997) and Heyman in various occasions). The program of limit analysis is not looking for stress distributions but only for ultimate conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Kinematic Stability of Masonry Arches

Smars

2010

AMR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To quantify the safety of masonry arches and vaults using limit-analysis, various types of safety factors have been devised. The most well-known were introduced by Heyman: a “static factor of safety” (or load factor) assessing how vulnerable the structure is to increases in the living loads and a “geometrical factor of safety” assessing how critical the thickness of the structure is for its stability. In non seismic areas, one of the main risks of total or partial collapse of arches and vaults is excessive displacement of the supports (following walls or soil deformation). Limit analysis technique can be used to analyse this risk, quantifying movements permitted before collapse and evolution of the thrust on the supports. This analysis can be combined with pathological investigations and displacement monitoring to study the evolution of the risk and define a “kinematic factor of safety”. A software program was developed (a) to compute domains of stability for particular mechanisms of deformation, (b) to study possibility of transitions between mechanisms during deformation and (c) to interactively study the influence of movements of the supports on thrust and stability. Scaled physical models are used to validate the limit analysis approach, using an experimental rig where horizontal and vertical displacements are controlled by computer. A high-speed camera is used to study transition between mechanisms. Finally it is referred to techniques integrating this kinematic approach into a more general probabilistic approach, taking into account various uncertainties in the structure (shape, thickness, loads, movements).

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Kinematic Stability of Masonry Arches

Smars

2010

AMR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A scaling ratio of, shall we say, 1 to 100 is quite a challenge. A second general difficulty, to which Dr Mainstone has drawn attention, 12 is that a photo-elastic model is in no way capable of allowing for the stresses and deformations developed during the construction process.…”

Section: Photo-elastic Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cathedral Studies: Engineering or History

Smith¹

2001

Transactions of the Newcomen Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The history of engineering is unusual among historical disciplines in that while it is, like all its relatives, ultimately dependent for its sources of information on documents, pictures, and artefacts, it is by no means restricted to them. Resort can be made, when appropriate, to what is referred to in this essay as retrospective analysis, not a term I like very much but usefully descriptive all the same. The laws of mechanics being eternal, it is sometimes feasible to analyse engineering history by the equations and techniques worked out for modern problems. In the main, of course, one is dealing with challenges from engineering's early history since for relatively recent times conventional sources are the adequate and proper ones to use; yet even then there are exceptions.Broadly speaking there are four types of retrospective analysis. The choice of which to deploy will depend on a variety of factors to do with the type of engineering involved and the nature of the problem it is proposed to investigate. Sometimes different retrospective techniques can be applied in combination. The categories can be summarised as follows:

show abstract

“…One uses data collected by others, relying on their attention, precision, and thoroughness. Mainstone's invective against the application of structural analysis to buildings which are no longer extant [12] makes several points that are of value. The author agrees with Mainstone that engineering analysis alone is of little value, and that engineering analysis should always be understood within the historic context that considers the materials, techniques, and understanding of the time.…”

Section: Accuracymentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural Analysis of Wood Trusses of San Paolo Fuori Le Mura, Rome, Italy

Robison

2019

WIT Transactions on the Built Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Roman double trusses of San Paolo fuori le Mura (FLM) are the oldest long-span Roman trusses for which sufficient information exists to perform a structural analysis. Span, spacing, and scantlings of members were recorded previous to the loss of the trusses due to a catastrophic fire in 1823. Wood species type can be inferred from comments by Pliny the Elder regarding other long-span trusses in ancient Rome. While the quality of the wood cannot be determined, the analysis results can be bracketed using allowable stresses from different wood visual grading standards. Dead and live loads can be estimated using loadings developed for current engineering practice. Quantifying the levels of stresses in the trusses of San Paolo FLM indicates a relatively conservative design. Stresses in the rafters, or upper chords, were reduced by the insertion of a collar strut providing an intermediate support to the upper chords. Even if it is assumed that timbers matching visual grade DF/L No. 2 were used, the combined flexural and axial stresses in the upper chords are well within those permitted by modern design standards.

show abstract

Structural Analysis, Structural Insights, and Historical Interpretation

Cited by 12 publications

References 10 publications

Kinematic Stability of Masonry Arches

Kinematic Stability of Masonry Arches

Cathedral Studies: Engineering or History

Structural Analysis of Wood Trusses of San Paolo Fuori Le Mura, Rome, Italy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About