Toward a large-scale seismic assessment method for heritage building: vulnerability of masonry baroque churches

The seismic assessment of historical masonry structures is a crucial field in architectural heritage. However, due to the large panel of these structures and the lack of numerical tools, vulnerability assessment of heritage buildings in seismic areas is still a complex issue in civil engineering. Through a case study dealing with baroque religious heritage in French Savoy, this paper presents the development of a simplified numerical strategy suitable for a large-scale study. Thanks to field surveys, a large data base has been built for 200 buildings. A limited number of homogeneous structural types have been defined. A parameterised meshing tool, suitable for finite element modelling has been developed, making it possible to take into account the specificities of each structural type. Then a dynamic analysis strategy is used to study the response of the model considering specific modelling variations. Finally, damage criterion choice is discussed comparing numerical results and in situ post-seismic feedback.