Dynamic Identification and Static Loading Tests of Timbrel Vaults: Application to a Modernist 20th Century Heritage Structure

This article presents the study of the structural performance of a set of timbrel vaults belonging to the so-called Administration Pavilion of the Hospital de Sant Pau, a large-scale hospital complex located in Barcelona. The article includes three parts. First, the Administration pavilion of Hospital de Sant Pau is described by putting the emphasis on the geometry of the masonry vaults and the combined utilization of steel and masonry structural members. Second, laboratory and in-situ experiments are discussed. Finally, the behavior observed during the dynamic-identification and the static-loading tests is simulated by means of FEM analysis. The FEM models prepared to analyse the vaults take explicitly into account the direct effect of secondary masonry structural elements, such as the upper slab and the extrados stiffening diaphragms. The comparison indicates that the consideration of these structural elements is essential for an adequate FEM simulation of both the dynamic and the static behavior of the timbrel vaults.