Experimental and numerical investigation of the collapse of pointed masonry arches under quasi-static horizontal loading

Abstract Pointed arches can exhibit a relevantly different behaviour from circular arches when subjected to horizontal actions. This paper considers the response of 11 reduced scale, dry-block pointed arches with varying geometry subjected to tilt tests. Crossed comparison between experimental and numerical results with variations in sharpness and thickness of models highlighted the sliding-governed response of a subset of samples. Thus, a novel, simplified, two-bar model, which assumes free sliding at the keystone interface and tackles the behaviour recorded during tests, is proposed. Moreover, the values of load multipliers obtained using limit analysis are compared to results from DEM modelling of the tilt tests. Finally, the sensitivity of the lateral response to the friction coefficient is carried out through DEM to define the sliding - hinging domain for possible geometric variations of pointed arches.