A mechanical model for the seismic vulnerability assessment of old masonry buildings

The paper discusses a mechanical model for the vulnerability assessment of old masonry building aggregates that takes into account the uncertainties inherent to the building parameters, to the seismic demand and to the model error. The structural capacity is represented as an analytical function of a selected number of geometrical and mechanical parameters. Applying a suitable procedure for the uncertainty propagation, the statistical moments of the capacity curve are obtained as a function of the statistical moments of the input parameters, showing the role of each one in the overall capacity definition. The seismic demand is represented by a response spectra; vulnerability analysis is carried out with respect to a certain number of random limit states which depend on the building parameters. Fragility curves are derived taking into account the uncertainties of each quantity involved.