Preface to the Special issue: ‘‘Integrated approaches for the mechanics of masonry structures: Novel strategies for experimental characterization, mathematical modelling and computer simulations’’

During the last decades, several studies on masonry structures have revealed the mature profile of an interdisciplinary branch of mechanics, encompassing advanced issues related to non-conventional tests, in situ monitoring, chemical physical deterioration, and mathematical modeling, enriched on one side by historical traditions and on the other by the engineering work of restoration and design carried out with innovative materials such as TextileReinforced Mortars (TRMs) and Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRPs). In particular, the mathematical modeling strategies nowadays used, typically consider masonry as a heterogeneous medium or as a homogenized body at the macroscale where coupled meso-macro procedures are adopted, being aligned with the most up to date state of the art in mathematical physics and computational mechanics. Aim of this Special Issue is to emphasize and favor the integration of such multidisciplinary approaches on a common basis represented by solid mechanics, in turn grounded on a rigorous mathematical background, helping the reader toward a deeper comprehension of masonry behavior, and guiding in a better understanding of the novel strategies to use for reasoned designs and restorations.