ABSTRACT
The out-of-plane seismic assessment of historic masonry structures in practice is based on the so-called mechanism method that makes use of rigid-body kinematics for reproducing the expected failure mechanisms. The main drawback of this procedure is the prior establishment of the collapse mechanism and the constraints related to the assumption of a rigid-body kinematics. The preservation of cultural heritage and its structural safety assessment are nowadays very important topics because of the remarkable historical and architectural value and the sensitivity to seismic actions that have, often, caused massive damage. The non-linear static analysis is carried out by applying gravity first and then horizontal increasing acceleration, in successive steps. At the end of each step the equilibrium configuration is reached by explicit integration of the equation of motion. If convergence is not achieved, the increase of acceleration is progressively halved until it becomes below a certain tolerance.
