Aqua Claudia

Claudius Aqueduct was one of the most important aqueduct of Rome. The 1.5 kilometres of Claudius Aqueduct in the “park of the aqueducts” is well preserved while the near portions are seriously affected by declineandabandonment. Some NTD tests are performed on two pillars of Claudio Aqueduct to evaluate the state of conservation of this archaeological finds. These experimental analyses demonstrate that sonic tests are able to define the consistency of the material and locate the presence of internal crack. Moreover the value of sonic velocity, relatedtointactmaterial,canalsogiveameasureofthedamageforaquantitativepointofview. A finite element model was achieve from a survey with high level of detail and after a stratigraphic analysis conductbyUniversityofPadova. Structural analyses are carried out to evaluate the static and the dynamic response of a part of aqueduct. The damage mechanism that cause the collapse of a lot of arches seems isn’t directly connected to seismic phenomena, but can be clarify more easily supposing the settlement of the foundation. This hypothesis is credible considering the measure taken to reinforce the Aqueduct a few years after its construction, through therealizationofmasonryarches. Even if the static analyses have not shown particular problems, the severe state of degradation can quickly leadtocollapseofblocks,significantlyreducingthesafety.