Modeling Approaches for the Assessment of Seismic Vulnerability of Masonry Structures: The E-PUSH Program

The assessment of seismic performance existing masonry structures is a key aspect for the risk mitigation strategies buildings and preservation historical heritage. increasing availability modelling approaches response calls need verifying their reliability correct use. In fact, these procedures are very sensitive to hypotheses, so that results could vary in wide interval depending on adopted software user’s skill. Aiming at enhancing classical packages structural analysis buildings, especially terms easiness use, simplicity limited computational demand, authors developed reliable sound push-over program, called E-PUSH, which allows quick nearly user-independent index. paper, available commercial codes unreinforced illustrated discussed, comparison with E-PUSH highlighting differences assumptions, choice mechanical parameters failure criteria, focusing impact assumptions estimation capacity curves index simple benchmark structure. Then, relevant case study, consisting “Niccolò Machiavelli” school Florence, investigated adopting two different packages, original one, discussing sensitivity made by user phase.