The NSCD method to analyze the dynamics of ancient masonry churches under seismic loadings

The dynamics of a medieval church, the S. Maria in Portuno's church, subjected to seismic loadings has been analyzed by using LMGC90, a distinct element code which implements the Non-Smooth Contact dynamics method. Since the contact between blocks is governed by the Signorini's impenetrability condition and the dry-friction Coulomb's law, the church exhibits a discontinuous dynamics. The sliding motions of blocks are non-smooth functions of time. Numerical simulations are performed with the aim of investigating the influence of the friction coefficient and of the type of connections between adjacent walls on the response.