This research project is aimed at developing an innovative approach to the analysis and monitoring of the interaction between underground construction activities and surface historical masonry structures. It has a multidisciplinary character, as it brings together the research experience of three academic groups active in the fields of geomatics, structural and, playing the major role, geotechnical engineering. The project stems from the need of updating the current engineering practice in underground constructions in urban areas, which is based on simplified design assumptions that necessarily lead to the adoption of rather conservative construction solutions and complex monitoring schemes, often complemented by damage prevention systems in the structure and/or of containment measures in the soil. All this leads to an overall increase in the project time and cost and often inhibits the use of historical structures by the inhabitants for relatively long periods of time.
The proposed research activity, organised in four tasks, has the following detailed objectives: i) identify new criteria to classify the level of damage induced in masonry structures subjected to typical excavation-related displacement patterns as predicted by numerical analyses; ii) select the procedures to be adopted for an accurate coupled numerical modelling of underground excavation processes, their effects on the involved soil deposits and the resulting interaction with masonry surface structures characterised by different degree of complexity; iii) develop new low-impact monitoring systems to efficiently detect the displacements induced by tunnelling/excavations at ground level and on the structures; iv) validate the combination of the outcomes of the above objectives to perform either back-analyses or Class A predictions of the damage induced in real historical structures, located in the urban areas of Rome and Naples, by nearby excavation/tunnelling activities.
The scientific outcomes of the proposed project are expected to impact the civil engineering academic community, not only via specialised contributions in each of the three fields involved - geomatics, structural and geotechnical engineering - but also capitalising on their multidisciplinary interaction. In addition, the project is designed considering the objectives of the NRRP with particular attention to the objective M4C2 FROM RESEARCH TO BUSSINESS. Therefore the proposed framework is also expected to impact the industry involved in the design, construction and monitoring of underground works, providing more reliable and cost-effective design and monitoring tools to be adopted in fragile environments involving historical community assets. Finally, at the social and community level the outcomes of this research will rise interest from both private and public sectors, including the facility managers and owners of historical buildings that are committed to guarantee high standards of protection of their assets.