A Risk Index for the Structural Diagnosis of Masonry Heritage (RISDiMaH)

Experts responsible for the safety evaluation of unique masonry heritage structures usually need to weigh information from various diagnosis activities before deciding the best course of action for preservation. Typical sources of valuable information are historical and in situ surveys and inspections, minor and non-destructive testing, structural health monitoring, and structural analysis, among others. Due to the complexity of the problem and singular aspects of monuments, these decisions are challenging and often made solely on the basis of expert judgement. A systematic risk assessment procedure is proposed involving the computation of two indices to facilitate the decision-making process: an index related to the estimated risk of damage, and another to the uncertainty behind this estimation. Results from applying the procedure to several case studies are provided to demonstrate its usefulness. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.