Numerical approches for soil-structure interaction in a historical industrial masonry building

Different numerical approaches were considered to investigate the possible causes of the structural damages detected in the masonry walls of an historical industrial building built at the beginning of the XX century in Italian Lombardia region; the building has a strategic role working as part of a drainage plant used for the reclamation of an extensive area close to the Po River. The structural analyses were performed with two different levels of complexity. In the first approach, structural finite element model and geotechnical one were implemented, independently. From the structural model, the forces transmitted to the soil are evaluated and applied to the geotechnical model. Consequently, the evaluated soil displacements are applied back to the structural model considering different boundary conditions: with fully restrained nodes, with base springs, and with imposed displacements. In such first approach the materials properties are linear. The second approach considered the implementation of a coupled model with both the building and the soil, modelled with solid elements having nonlinear properties. In the second approach, construction stage analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of the soil settlements occurred over time on the masonry structures and the foundation. A comparison between the results obtained by the two approaches is presented and the results are discussed to determine the causes leading to the cracks.