Indagini strutturali sulla Basilica di Santa Maria Novella

The present work describes the preliminary results of structural analyses carried out on a finite element model of the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, aiming at assessing the current conditions of the Basilica and interpreting the surveyed crack pattern. The information gathered in a previous survey campaign (exact geometry of the vaults, crack pattern, and out-of-plumb of the columns and the walls) were employed to define a numerical model that matches the salient features of the real geometry of the Basilica, despite some simplifying assumptions. So far, linear elastic analyses taking only the self-weight of the structural elements into account, were carried out. Despite these limitations, the faults observed in the vaults of the lateral naves and in the perimeter of the transept could be explained. The agreement between numerical predictions and cracks detected in other parts of the Basilica, such as the vaults of the central nave and the transversal walls above this nave, is less satisfactory. Future analyses will include the effects of ground settlements and the out-of-plumb of the pillars of the central nave.