FEM analyses of a monumental building using a smeared approach for the fracture energy

The paper analyses the static behaviour and the seismic vulnerability of the San Francesco ad Alto in Ancona (Italy), which is currently used as a Regional Headquarter of the Marche Region by the Italian Army. The static structural behaviour and the dynamic properties of the monastery have been evaluated using the finite element modelling technique, where the nonlinear behaviour of masonry has been taken into account by proper constitutive assumptions. A FEM approach has been used, based on the concepts of homogenized material and smeared cracking and crushing constitutive law. The capacity of the monastery to withstand lateral loads is evaluated together with the expected demands resulting from seismic actions using a nonlinear static analysis (Pushover). The comparison demand vs. capacity confirms the susceptibility of this type of building to extensive damage and possibly to collapse, as frequently observed