Inventory and monitoring of historical cultural heritage buildings on a territorial scale: a preliminary study of structural health monitoring based on the CARTIS approach

Abstract

Earthquakes induce dynamic stresses in structures, and past seismic events have demonstrated that existing heritage buildings are highly vulnerable. This vulnerability applies to both reinforced-concrete and masonry buildings, which are concentrated in historic centres throughout Italy. Significant variations in construction account for the inadequacy of existing structures to withstand seismic actions, such as the materials used and the construction details, which can be neglected in building practices. This work focuses on the analysis of heritage buildings through an inventory using the Caratterizzazione TIpologica Strutturale (CARTIS) form developed by the Seismic Engineering University Laboratories Network in conjunction with the Civil Protection Department. On knowing a building framework, structural health monitoring (SHM) systems can be applied on the town compartments (TCs) that are prone to the highest vulnerabilities. A priority criticalities scale can be devised starting from the building inventory by identifying the TCs through the CARTIS-based data. This approach can be used to determine a safety threshold obtained via structural parametrical analysis using commercial software (VEMnl) with different building typologies. The next stage consists of the implementation of appropriate SHM to provide important information regarding the structural integrity of the buildings. The proposed methodology is outlined in this paper with reference to the suggested SHM system.