In-Plane Versus Out-of-Plane “Behavior” of an Italian Timber Framed System—The Borbone Constructive System: Historical Analysis and Experimental Evaluation

The Borbone system, elaborated after the terrible earthquake that in 1783 hit the southern part of the Calabria Region, is constituted by masonry reinforced with timber frames. It represents the synthesis of the most advanced anti-seismic criteria of the time, the Age of the Enlightenment. With the present study based on pictures and reports of the time as well as on the results of experimental trials on real scale (1:1) models, the authors intend to contribute to the interpretation of the behavior to seismic actions of the cited Borbone system and decoding the answer of the system to horizontal forces both parallel (by means of experimental analysis) and perpendicular to the walls (relied on historical data). The values collected in the cyclic tests—such as ductility, strength impairment, equivalent viscous damping, and energy dissipation, conducted on two samples: masonry wall reinforced by timber frames and timber framed wall without infill)—have been compared with the experimental data concerning other framed masonry systems (Gaiola and Dhajji Dewari) bringing out the constructive and mechanical differences as well as similarities.