Evaluations on the seismic vulnerability of masonry churches: A case study in Amantea (Cosenza – Italy)

In this paper, the seismic vulnerability assessment of the ruins of the ancient church of St Francis of Assisi in Amantea, in the province of Cosenza, is investigated. The survey campaign highlighted the geometrical and mechanical characteristics of the 13th century church necessary for the suitable structural analysis. The result of this first processing was the creation of a simplified geometric model used for the definition of the numerical model with the FE code Abaqus CAE. The most widely used damage models in the literature have been implemented in the code to take into account the mechanical behavior of the constituent masonry. In particular, the aim of this work is to highlight two aspects about the seismic-resistant behavior of the building: the trigger of local failure mechanisms and the efficiency of the strengthening already carried out in the past.