Masonry-like solids with bounded compressive strengt

This paper proposes a constitutive equation for masonry-like materials with bounded compressive strength. The general properties of this equation are proved and its solution is explicitly calculated. Subsequently, a numerical method is proposed in order to solve the equilibrium problem of masonry-like solids with bounded compressive strength. In particular the derivative of the stress with respect to the total strain is calculated ; this derivative will be used for calculating the tangent stiffness matrix and then for solving the non-linear system, obtained with the discretisation into finite elements via the Newton-Raphson method. Finally, this numerical method is applied to the study of Mosca’s bridge in Turin and to the study of a three-dimensional circular reduced arch subjected to its own weight and a vertical load distributed along the extrados.