Overturning of the façade in single-nave churches under seismic loading

Abstract The out-of-plane collapse of the façade represents one major threats and most frequent cause damages churches due to strong earthquakes. Due slenderness lack adequate connections side walls wooden roof, seismic action can trigger overturning. A detailed assessment is therefore required judge whether or not intervene. This paper presents an approach for stability façade, through a discrete element model based on photographic survey, with aim representing actual geometry arrangement stone units their effects kinematics mechanism simulated both, quasi-static pushover dynamic pulse-based analyses results compared those conventional rigid-body kinematics. proposed then applied seven masonry that suffered severe during 2009 L’Aquila (Italy) earthquake failure mode provided by caused earthquake. method able give reliable estimate expected mechanism, taking into account quality walls, while also providing acceleration motion ultimate displacement beyond which occurs.