Numerical investigation of the behaviour of the church of Agia Triada, Drakotrypa, Greece

This paper includes the most important findings of a series of both linear elastic and non-linear analyses focusing on the development of failure developing on the masonry structural elements, identified through different failure criteria, of a post-Byzantine church. The historic monument which was selected for this investigation is the church of Agia Triada, at the District of Karditsa, Greece. The numerical simulation of the behaviour of the structural system for this church includes all parts of the super-structure and load combinations of the gravitational loads and/or earthquake forces. A first objective of this study is to assess the importance of various structural elements, such as the tympana, apses, secondary vaulting and openings in the peripheral walls and the dome. A second objective is to predict the initiation and propagation of failure at various structural elements considering (a) a Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion with a limit on tension strength and (b) three alternative modified Von-Misses failure envelopes. These distinct failure criteria are applied for the same structure and for the same load combinations. The Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion is combined with stress fields as they result from a linear elastic analysis whereas the three alternative modified Von-Misses failure envelopes are incorporated in a non-linear, step-by-step incremental analysis. The initiation and propagation of failure, predicted by all these criteria, and the corresponding failure areas are compared and discussed.