Real-time Structural Stability of Domes through Limit Analysis: Application to St. Peter’s Dome

A digital tool is presented and made available for the rapid structural assessment of historic masonry domes. It especially suited domes that present long meridian cracks; ergo partitioned slices governed by a pushing failure mode. The proposed procedure considers Heyman’s no-tension mechanical model has been implemented within user-friendly visual programming environment. numerical approach includes parametric modelling mechanism allows exploring domain solutions using kinematic theorem limit analysis. heuristic search method subsequently adopted to refine geometry collapse compute value horizontal trust. Validation results achieved considering St. Peter’s dome. As reported in literature, behaviour this dome shifted from rigid shell-type — stiffened hoop stresses towards type cracks. Unlike time-consuming advanced methods analysis, users perform few seconds offers possibility including: (i) dome’s drum if applicable; (ii) rings as strengthening measure, whose number, position (dome or drum) material (capacity) are user-defined. goal make easily freely at disposal students, researchers, engineers.