A parametric model for ribbed masonry vaults

The paper presents a new method aimed at the automated modelling of ribbed masonry vaults, based on parametric modelling integrated with measurements and in-situ observations. The procedure starts with direct observation in-situ which provide information for construction rules, geometry and connection between different structural elements. Important geometric data for individual vault elements such as arch, rib and web are obtained from the elaboration of point-cloud measurements. These data are used as inputs into a parametric model, created to generate automatically the three-dimensional geometry with solid elements. The final assembly includes individual members (arch, rib, web, rubble-fill) and nodal zones (tas-de-charge). The model is used for three-dimensional numerical finite element analysis, to study the structural response. Moreover, the same model can be used in a Building Information Modelling environment. Results show that different ribbed masonry vaults such as quadripartite (with square, rectangular, or trapezoidal shape in plan) or sexpartite can be generated just by changing the input parameters of the parametric model.