Design of physical models for the analysis of vaulted structures: prototyping the testing setup for a small-scale cross-vault

Since masonry vaults are among the most common structural elements within European cultural heritage buildings, understanding their behavior is essential for accurately assessing how entire buildings respond to cracks and instability phenomena caused by poor maintenance, ineffective retrofitting interventions, changes in loading conditions and earthquakes. Considering the importance of this topic and the growing interest in safety and conservation of historical heritage, many architecture research studies focus on this area. The present work contributes to the REVHEAL research project, a national research initiative coordinated by the Department of Architecture and Design of Politecnico di Torino and developed in collaboration with University of Brescia. REVHEAL focuses on assessing the safety of cross-masonry vaults and designing risk mitigation strategies in line with traditional conservation principles. The primary research goal is cross-referencing previous numerical analyses conducted on cross-vaults with the results of a new experimental campaign performed on both small-scale and full-scale cross-vault specimens. This thesis is part of the initial phase of the above-mentioned extensive research. In particular, the design and building process of a testing setup for the analysis of small-scale vaulted structures is here presented. The research begins with an outline of the thesis objectives, followed by an overview on the role of small-scale models of arches and vaults and an excursus on the state of the art regarding the topic of experimental campaigns on masonry vaults. This introductory part is followed by the main core of the thesis, which is divided into two parts: the design of the testing setup and its prototype building process. Particularly, the present work focuses on the design of two different setups for conducting structural tests on a 1:5 scale model of a cross-vault. Moreover, a prototype of a plywood centering system is developed in order to be able to build the cross-vault on which shear and opening tests will be performed. The centering system, designed to be adaptable to both testing setups, is characterized by a modular geometry composed of three separate pieces which will be removed from beneath the cross-vault. In conclusion, the present work analyzes, through a series of consecutive steps, the process of designing a functional and precise assembly, maneuvering and extraction system for the cross-vault’s centering. A 1:5 scale model of the plywood centering and other components of the testing setup are then built and assembled.