Numerical characterization of the structural behaviour of the Basilica of Pilar in Zaragoza (Spain). Part 1: Global and local models

The Basilica of Pilar, located in the city of Zaragoza, is one of the most famous Spanish temples. Several domes of this church contain frescoes painted by Francisco de Goya, which have suffered damages in the past decades due to various pathologies. The frescoes of the Regina Martirum dome are being restored at the present time. In this paper, we present a set of structural models of the entire temple and local models of the Regina Martirum dome by discussing and comparing the obtained results. The main objective of the research was to identify the current structural state of the church, its safety level and the relationship between the structural behaviour and the damages observed. The behaviour of the main material used in the construction, brick masonry, was simulated first with linear elastic isotropic models and later with several non-linear isotropic models including brittle behaviour in tension and plastic behaviour in compression. In addition, we consider the historical construction and the reinforcement works added to the structure in its history, with the purpose of testing the finite element models by reproducing the pathologies described from the beginning of the current Baroque construction.