Evolutionary fracture analysis of masonry arches: Effects of shallowness ratio and size scale

This paper presents the evolutionary analysis for the fracturing assessment of masonry arches. This method allows capturing the damaging process that occurs when the linear elastic behaviour's conditions in tension no longer apply, and before achieving the limit conditions. Furthermore, the way the thrust line is influenced by the formation of cracks and the consequent internal stresses redistribution, representing the “fracturing benefit”, can be assessed numerically. Size scale effects are also taken into account, as well as the influence of the arch's shallowness ratio.