International Collaboration by Young Researchers for DzApplication of Structural Engineering and Structural Health Monitoring to Historic Buildingsdz Kyoto, Japan December 19th, 2014 19 LUMPED DAMAGE MECHANICS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO ANALYSE MASONRY ARCHES David L. N. F. Amorim 1 , Sergio P. B. Proença 1 , and Julio Flórez-López 1,2,3 1 Department of Structural Engineering, Engineering School of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil 2 Department of Structural Engineering, University of Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela 3 Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan ABSTRACT The preservation of historical constructions means the protection of the cultural heritage of the human civilisation. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the structural behaviour of those constructions. However, generally there is lack of information about such structures since several of those constructions were built a long time ago. Nevertheless, usually the engineers use analytical and finite element analyses to describe the structural behaviour of those structures. Analytical procedures are usually used for simple geometries, because the generalisation of such theory is impractical. Finite element analysis coupled with a nonlinear procedure is preferable, but there are some numerical issues that demand from the engineer a cutting-edge knowledge about such numerical procedure. On the other hand, simplified techniques as lumped damage mechanics might describe satisfactorily the structural behaviour of historical constructions. Such theory is based on well-known concepts of the theory of structures and the inelastic phenomena are lumped on hinges. In the light of the foregoing, this paper presents the lumped damage mechanics as an alternative to analyse historical constructions. For that, unreinforced masonry arches were numerically modelled and compared with experimental observations. KEYWORDS Historical constructions; lumped damage mechanics; unreinforced masonry arch; inelastic hinges. INTRODUCTION Historical constructions represent a part of the cultural heritage and help to tell the history of human civilisation. There is a concern about the preservation of this cultural heritage, because such constructions were built hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Then, analyse the current and actual situation of historical constructions is an attempt to preserve this heritage. However, gather important information about historical constructions is usually quite difficult. For example, Lourenço (2001) discuss and enumerate some of those difficulties as: lack of geometry information, large variability of mechanical properties, non-applicability of regulations and codes, among others. Sometimes an intervention planning might be useful for conservation and restoration of monuments and historical constructions. Therefore, the previous knowledge of the structural behaviour is mandatory. For that, theoretical and numerical analyses are usually used (for a review, see Lourenço (2001) and the references therein). Theoretical approaches are very interesting for simple geometries, however for more complex monuments the formulation of such approaches seems to be impractical. Another possibility that appears to be the most used is the finite element analysis, where complex geometries can be easily modelled and nonlinear procedures are adopted e.g. cohesive models, plasticity models, fracture mechanics and continuum damage mechanics. The use of those features requires a vast knowledge in nonlinear analysis and demands experience from the engineer concerning numerical issues that might occur. Alternatively, simplified approaches can be useful for decision making and preliminary analysis. Among those approaches, the lumped damage mechanics (LDM) presents itself as a powerful tool for analyse complex geometries and it is based on well-known concepts of the theory of structures. This procedure is vastly used to analyse reinforced concrete structures (e.g. Cipollina et al., 1995; Perdomo et al., 1999; Liu and Liu, 2004; Araújo and Proença, 2008; Faleiro et al., 2010; Santoro and Kunnath, 2013), although other materials as steel (Guerrero et al., 2009) and unreinforced concrete (Amorim et al., 2014) were also successfully modelled. In fact, Amorim et al. (2014) also presented a numerical analysis of an unreinforced masonry arch tested by Basilio (2007). In the light of the foregoing, the main objective of this paper is to present LDM as an alternative for analyse historical constructions.