Masonry Spiral Stairs: A Comparison between Analytical and Numerical Approaches
Source abstract
Abstract
The present paper applies the Linear Arch Static Analysis (LASA), which models the masonry material as unilateral, i.e., No-Tension material in the sense of Heyman, and the Safe Theorem of the Limit Analysis to the study of masonry spiral stairs. A comparison is made with a refined FE analysis of the same problem, obtained by means of the ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL). The objective is to prove that LASA can be a valid alternative to other more complex numerical methods, such as FE, especially when the modeling parameters, such as the boundary conditions, cannot be exactly defined. The case study of a small spiral staircase placed in the tower of Nisida, a small island close to Naples, Italy is taken into consideration. The results show that the LASA analysis provides results that fall within two limit FE cases in terms of stress and overall thrust, providing at the same time a meaningful insight into the equilibrium state of the structure.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Masonry and Concrete Structural Analysis · Civil and Structural Engineering Research · Structural Engineering and Vibration Analysis
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via San Lorenzo-Abazia di San Lorenzo, 81031 Aversa, Italy
Department of Structural Engineering, University of Naples ‘Federico II’, Via Claudio, 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
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