Seismic assessment and numerical modelling of the Sarno Baths, Pompeii

Seismic assessment of archaeological sites has an increasing role in the definition of reliable conservation strategies of such vulnerable structures, with the combined objectives of verifying the structural safety to code standards and preserving the cultural heritage significance. Aging of materials, anthropogenic and environmental factors may cause in fact rapid loss of the structural capacity once ruins and ‘remaining structures’ are discovered and excavated. This paper reports the seismic vulnerability assessment of the Sarno Baths in Pompeii. After a detailed diagnostic phase (through non-destructive on-site tests) to increase the knowledge of masonry structures regarding the quality of materials, connections and dynamic behavior, various methods of structural analyses are applied and compared. Both analytical and numerical approaches are tested to understand the structural behavior against design actions, identify the original causes of the detected damage pattern, identify the resisting mechanisms, and predict the response for exceptional events (i.e. earthquakes). Outcomes of ambient vibration tests are used to calibrate the properties of the constitutive materials (mass density, elastic modulus), to clarify the interaction with surrounding domains (the building is placed on a slope), and to highlight any damage conditions in the building (diffuse cracking, decay of materials, etc.) influencing its seismic performance.