Dynamic Identification of the Damage for a Parabolic Tuff Barrel Vault with Differential Settlements of the Supports

The dynamic identification of structural damage for masonry constructions could play a crucial role for the preservation of architectural heritage. The interest is this experimental technique is motivated both by its non-destructive nature and by the possibility of assessing the damage at an early stage. In this context, this paper studies the damage identification of a full-scale parabolic tuff barrel vault subjected to differential settlements of the supports starting from vibration measurements. The geometry of the vault (polycentric near parabolic shape) and the masonry material (Apulian tuff) have been chosen in order to be representative of some masonry vaults common in rural constructions of Apulia region.