Structural Damage in Masonry. Description and Interpretation of Crack Patterns: Basis for Finding the Damage Causes

Before deciding on any repair technique for the conservation of damaged historic masonry structures a diagnosis based on experimental investigation and modelling has to be carried out. The first important step of this diagnosis is the survey and interpretation of the structural damages usually shown by a crack pattern. This operation is not always easy. In order to associate the damage symptoms to the damage causes it is necessary to describe the mechanical behaviour of masonry under different actions and to describe the possible causes of the structural damage. The aim of the paper is to define the basis for a structural damage atlas that will be further proposed as part of an expert system, MDDS, which has already been set up for the detection of physical damages to the masonry materials.