Procedures Used for Strengthening Pavias Cathedral, Italy

Giorgio Macchi, Prof.; Stefano Macchi, Eng.; Studio Tecnico Macchi, Milano, Italy. Contact: giorgio12011930@hotmail.it
DOI: 10.2749/101686615X14355644771171

Abstract The Intervention on the Pillars

This paper deals with the two kinds of pathologies of Pavias Cathedral discussed
and the Laboratory Model
in a previous paper, and the intervention techniques implemented for its strength- The intervention chosen for the pillars
ening. Their conception and some details of the methods are described here. For was the last of the options listed above,
the retrofitting of the pillars (first pathology), an innovative procedure was used, which involves the transfer of the load
based on the horizontal precompression of the infill and on the partial transfer from the lining to the infill.8,9
of the load from the marble lining to the infill, while for the cracked dome (sec-
ond pathology), the increase in strength was achieved by a simple application of The basic intervention is summarised
carbon-fibre strips to the main ribs. in the following steps:
Keywords: historical monuments; structural strengthening; innovations 1. Pretensioned tendons (each a 15 mm
diameter strand) were applied
around the pillar, one hoop every
Introduction (mean), while the infill was a poor con- 700 mm. This temporary safeguard
glomerate of rubble and stones bonded aimed to avoid further fractures,
The precarious situation of Pavias by a hydraulic lime mortar. Moreover, ensure the stability of the lining and
Cathedral is common in heritage build- a defective superposition of the marble increase the strength of the core
ings, which are usually heavy masonry blocks had resulted in the vertical force slightly during the work.
structures whose hazardous condition acting only on a horizontal external 2. Stainless steel bars AISI 410 of 16
is caused by their own weight and a strip of 100 mm. The already present mm diameter were applied inside
brittle compression collapse. fracturing of the marble lining of the 32 mm holes drilled across the pillar
pillars increased with the collapse of (Fig. 1). The bars were mechanically
The case was in fact similar to that of anchored in the marble blocks of the
Pavias Civic Tower13: it had also been the Civic Tower, leading to an overall
falling off of marble blocks. In 1989, the opposite linings. At one end, the bars
standing for 800 years, but after the had a special inverted cone anchor
increase in its weight in the sixteenth construction was on the verge of col-
lapse (first pathology).2,3 (Fig. 2), which worked inside the
century, it was in danger every day block and did not appear on the sur-
without showing any sign of distress, Investigations and research on the face. At the other end, the bars were
until its sudden collapse in the year intervention techniques began in 1989. tensioned by jacks and anchored
1989. No accidental force was in action For the first pathology, the interven- by a steel plate of 60 mm diameter,
at that moment. tion on the pillars was chosen from which was later hidden by a marble
In such a case, the intervention tech- among four available alternatives6: plug. The role of the bars, applied in
niques aimed at avoiding the collapse six different directions, was to create
addition of a new bearing lining;
should be quite different from those a low radial precompression of the
demolition and rebuilding of the
used against the effects of accidental core, and provide a tensile resistant
pillars;
actions, typically earthquakes, torna- connection between the opposite
dismantling and re-assemblage of
does, explosions and others, for which linings, which would be subjected
the lining after strengthening of the
the best measures are providing ductil- core;
ity or energy dissipation. partial transfer of the load from the
On the contrary, in the case of the lining to the core of the pillars, and
risk of compression collapse, the mea- strengthening without dismantling
sures are more difficult, and are usu- of the lining.
ally addressed by an increase in the
strength of the materials or a reduction The fourth alternative was chosen for
of the mass.4,5 reasons of heritage conservation,4,7 BAR
3

and implemented by means of an inno-

1

The eight main pillars of the church

R

vative technique, described here.

BA

BA

(built over a period of 150 years) were

2
BAR

The large octagonal dome made of

5

BA
very slender and weak, and were built R

with the usual technique, where the brickwork (30 m in diameter) was an BAR 4
6

marble was only a lining of 350 mm additional matter of concern because

Peer-reviewed by international ex-
perts and accepted for publication
by SEI Editorial Board
Paper received: October 30, 2014
Paper accepted: June 19, 2015
of four large meridian cracks that
had resulted in an opening of 60 mm,
caused by another unfortunate event:
the sudden rupture of one of the iron
chains causing the rupture of the dome,
with a deflection of 300 mm (second
pathology). Fig. 1: Stainless steel pretensioned bars

Structural Engineering International Nr. 1/2016 Scientific Paper 11


Fig. 2: Inverted cone anchor
Fig. 3: Flat jack
to outward lateral pressure by the
infill. There was no bond between
the bar and the marble in order to
ensure durability and reversibility.
3. The horizontal joints of the lining
were cut by a diamond-edged disk
to a depth of 260 mm and a thick-
ness of 4.5 mm. The aim of the cut
was to release the existing exces-
sive compression of the crust and
to allow a small settlement of the
joint so that it would operate in such
a way that a partial transfer of the
load to the core was achieved, as
well as to allow the removal of the
weak mortar from the inner part of
the joint and its subsequent recon-
stitution. The cut was effected in
steps; during each step, the cut sec-
tion of the joint was made resistant
again by the insertion of flat jacks
(Figs. 3 and 4).
4. The existing lime mortar in the inner
part of the joint was weak and easily
removed. It was replaced by a liq-
uid cement grout, which filled the
void over the entire thickness of
the marble. After it had hardened,
it resulted like a new marble, with
a strength of 15 N/mm2 and an ade-
quate E modulus.
12 Scientific Paper
Fig. 4: Flat jack inserted with manometer
5. The joint was cut again with the
diamond-edged disk. Now the joint
had a calibrated thickness of 4.5 mm
between the two parallel surfaces,
with an adequate resistance (Fig. 5,
phase 5).
6. Flat jacks were introduced in the
reconstituted joint and raised to the
design pressure. This area was now
efficient enough to carry the load,
and the work could proceed to the
following steps with new cuts (Fig. 5,
phase 6).
7. The flat jacks were removed and
the permanent fill of the joint intro-
duced, step by step. Three different
types of filling material were tested,
and the one that had a lower stiff-
ness was applied where a higher
deformability was required for a
reduction of the bending moment.
The procedure was repeated on the
subsequent joints from the top to
the base of the pillars, with the work
being carried out on all the eight pil-
lars simultaneously in order to ensure
symmetry between them. The area of
Phase 5
Cutting
Fig. 5: Vertical section of the lining and the flat jack work
Structural Engineering International Nr. 1/2016
efficient cross-section obtained for
the stone lining of the pillars (Fig. 6)
was at least 2 m2, which would be able
to carry 1600 t at a mean stress of 8
N/mm2, while the remaining 600 t of
permanent load would be supported
by the remaining area (the infill) at a
mean stress of 0.9 N/mm2. The stress
ratio would correspond to the elastic
moduli ratio, and the expected results
would be as follows:
Improved properties of the infill,
because of the precompression, and
a better connection with the lining,
because of the grouting.
Partial transfer of the load on the
core, and reduction of the load on
the lining.
Elimination of the stress concentra-
tion on the crust of the lining.
Widening of the resistant area
of the lining and levelling of its
compression.
The application of flat jacks was
needed since the simple cut of the
joints would lead to local collapses,
and because the core did not have
enough resistance for the total load.
Its deformations would not be accept-
able in any case. The expected vertical
shortening of each joint was about 0.5
mm. This small amount was enough
for the expected partial redistribution
of stresses, and its effects on the entire
structure would be controlled.
The probability of earthquakes in
Pavia is negligible, so that the state
of stress under permanent loads and
wind provides a good measure of the
safety level.10,11
Phase 6
Flat-jacking
 Sollecitazione
Min principal
neglected in order to get a first under-
N/(mm2)
0
standing of the static behaviour, and
0.8
1.6
2.4
the numerical analysis of the octagon
3.2
4 was performed with the finite element
4.8
5.6
6.4
code (Fig. 10). A more refined analysis
7.2
8 was required for the brickwork dome
as an isolated body. This was done by
Y improving the linear analysis with an
X evolutionary procedure that took into
account the crack formation.
Fig. 7: Upper section (Units: N/mm2)
Again, three types of elements were
Sollecitazione used: eight-node brick elements were
Min principal
N/(mm2) used for pillars, arches and loggia; shell
0
0.8 elements were used for shells and ribs;
1.6
2.4
3.2
and truss elements were also used.
4
4.8
5.6
6.4 Materials Used in the Numerical
Fig. 6 At the end, after removal of the jacks 7.2
8 Model
3.1 The following moduli of elasticity (E)
The entire procedure of the interven- were used (N/mm2):
tion was tested in 1997 at the Structural
Laboratory of the University of Pavia Material Modulus (E)
on a pillar model, which represented Ornavasso marble 70 000
in full scale a portion of the real pillar. Mortar 1200
The model had a 1.15 m 0.70 m cross- Marble linings 50 000
Z
section, and seven superimposed lay- Y Brickwork 3000
ers of the lining blocks. The defective X
Infill 3000
joints were simulated in the model, and
the infill was made using granite peb- Fig. 8: Pillar under service load vertical The results are shown in the contours,
bles and low-strength mortar. All ele- stresses (Units: N/mm2) which essentially depict the maximal
ments were tested separately in order and minimal stress.
to achieve the best simulation of the 8.3 Sollecitazione
Min principal
real situation. The work on the joints, N/(mm2)
0 Two different models were taken into
which consisted of the insertion of the 8.4 0.8
1.6
2.4 account for the isolated dome: a solid
flat jacks, the redistribution of stresses 3.2
4 dome and a dome cracked along the
and the final fill introduction, was suc- 4.8
5.6
6.4 axes of the four widest shells, where
cessfully performed under a constant 7.2
8
cracks of 60 mm cut the shells as effec-
load of 162 t, and the global vertical
tive joints.
shortening was 3 mm, as expected. The Y

time effect was rapidly extinguished: X

after 160 days of loading, the vertical
load applied to the model was raised
by 50%, with almost no effect.
State of Stress after Intervention
for the First Pathology (Pillars)
Figures 79 show the vertical stresses
in the Cathedrals pillars under perma-
nent loads, obtained by linear elastic
analysis. The maximum compression in
the lining was reduced to 8.3 N/mm2,
which is an allowable stress for marble
masonry. The compression in the infill
was very low (about 0.9 N/mm2), but
sufficient to contribute significantly
to the strength of the entire structure
because of the large area involved.
The intervention on the fractured pil-
lars of the Pavia Cathedral was chosen
from among four alternatives; after tak-
ing into consideration the merits and
difficulties of each of them, the par-
tial transfer of the load was deemed
to be, in spite of its apparently complex
2.1 Results of the Analysis of the Dome
2
Fig. 9: Lower section (Units: N/mm ) The results of the analysis were less
worrying in comparison with those
technique, the only intervention that
could ensure both the stability and Min principal
the conservation of the construction 0
0.08
0.16
materials of the monument. The labo- 0.25
0.33
0.41
ratory tests of the model, under load 0.5
0.58
for 6 years, proved that the technique 0.66
0.75
0.83
was realistic and the expected results 0.91
1
were attainable. The intervention on
the pillars was satisfactorily completed
in July 2006.
Numerical Analysis and
Intervention on the Dome
In spite of the conceptual separation
between the two pathologies, the struc-
tural analysis had to take into account
several interactions between the pil-
lars and the dome.
The deficiencies of symmetry and of Fig. 10: Stresses in the ribs before
the joints described above were initially fracturing of the dome (Units: N/mm2)

Structural Engineering International Nr. 1/2016 Scientific Paper 13


Fig. 11: Crack in the drum
Fig. 12: Crack on the oculus
obtained for the pillars. They were,
however, very variable as a conse-
quence of the size of the structural ele-
ments not always being appropriate to
their role. The first expected result con-
firmed the presence of the four merid-
ian cracks12 caused by the horizontal
circumferential tension on the dome
under the excessive load (cracks of the
same shape as that appeared during
the collapse of 1895). The results also
show that the deformed shape caused
by the four meridian cracks involved
a considerable deflection (about 300
mm) of the crown and, therefore, a
considerable bending (hogging) of the
14 Scientific Paper
eight main ribs (Fig. 15). The conse-
quence of this, shown in the contours,
was that the main ribs were subjected
to an upper tension (instead of the
compression shown for a dome with-
out cracks (Fig. 10). Such a longitu-
dinal tension of the external (upper)
edge was one of the causes of trans-
versal (horizontal) cracks. Such a dam-
age was also found on the ribs of the
Brunelleschi Cupola in Florence,13,14
which was subjected to a similar set of
four meridian cracks.
This result required an intervention to
strengthen the main ribs. The analysis
Max principal of the cracked dome showed that the
0.5
0.45
iron chains placed in 1895 were insuf-
0.41
0.37
ficient; therefore now, even after retro-
0.33
0.29
fitting, the dome still had four major
0.25
0.20
cracks, but the stability against the
0.16
0.12
thrust is provided by a new stainless
0.08 steel chain of 50 mm diameter applied
0.04
0 at a level of 43 m. Another effect of the
Fig. 13: Principal tension in the oculus cracks is a circumferential movement
(Units: N/mm2) of the main ribs and, therefore, a rela-
tive horizontal movement of the top of
the pillars and increased stresses in the
pillars (Fig. 15). The large cracks on the
oculi of the drum (Figs. 12 and 13) are
also explained by the continuity of the
meridian cracks (Fig. 11). The analysis
also showed a vertical bending of the
thick drum (Figs. 1417).
Max principal
0.5
0.45
0.41
0.37
0.33
0.29
0.25
0.20
0.16
0.12
0.08
0.04
0
Fig. 14: Principal tension in a main rib
(Units: N/mm2) Fig. 16: Damages to the drum
Z
Y X
Fig. 15: Hogging of ribs and pillar bending
Structural Engineering International Nr. 1/2016
 Sollecitazione
Min principal
N/(mm2)
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2
Fig. 17: Vertical stresses on the corridor of
the loggia (N/mm2)
Fig. 18: Outer carbon-fibre strips on main
ribs
Works on the Dome
Few works were necessary on the
dome, in spite of the fragility of the
individual elements. Together with sev-
eral minor works, the following were
considered essential:
A stabilization of the thinnest brick-
work shells (only 120 mm thick),
with a carbon-fibre net (blue lines in
Fig. 20).
A longitudinal strengthening of the
eight ribs by the application of lon-
gitudinal (outer) 100 1 mm strips
of carbon fibre (Figs. 1820).
A stainless steel circumferential ring
at the lantern.
The hydraulic lime grouting at defi-
cient points of the drum.
The reopening of the windows of
the loggia to increase the internal
luminosity.
The interventions left all the origi-
nal materials in the original position,
and only a few reinforcements were
added in the most critical locations.
The cracks were left visible in order
to maintain the memory of the histori-
cal events (Fig. 16). The risky open-
ing on the corridor in the wall of the
drum (Fig. 17) did not require any
strengthening.
Structural Engineering International Nr. 1/2016
Fig. 19: Modelling of transversal crack formation on the ribs and the required
reinforcement
Z
X Y
Fig. 20: Meridian carbon-fibre strips (view and plan in red)
Conclusions
The structural interventions on Pavias
Cathedral may be appreciated from
the point of view of heritage conserva-
tion, because all the original materials
were left in their original position, and
only a few reinforcements were added
in the most critical locations. The
strengthening was inspired and guided
by recent criteria governing the con-
servation of precious monuments.
The first concept deals with the con-
servation itself, and states that the
monument should be preserved for
future generations and any alteration
to its symbolic value, its historic value,
and its appearance and aesthetic value
should be avoided.
This goal was reached, in our case,
thanks to the innovative intervention
on the pillars and that on the dome.
The second one is a materialistic
criterion, according to which the origi-
nal materials themselves had to be
preserved; in the Pavia restoration,
the original materials were preserved.
NSC2
NP4
NP3
NSL2
Y NSL1
Z
X NP2
NP1 NSC1
Finally, the difficult requirement of
reversibility, or at least replace-
ability, was satisfied during the inter-
vention on the pillars, so that the same
repair could be repeated in the future.
The works described above adhered
strictly to the UNESCO criteria7, and
several expert restorers were involved
for years using their traditional exper-
tise to conceptualise innovations for
respecting the precious association
between marble and brickwork in the
huge monument.
The pressure in the 284 flat jacks was
checked to ensure that the design
compression of 8 N/mm2 under per-
manent loading was not exceeded on
the marble of the pillars, so that no fur-
ther spalling of the marble lining was
noticed for the following ten years.
The tension in the stainless steel bars
was also found stable for ten years.
The essential contribution of the infill,
after its precompression and reloading,
is ensured by the absence of creep.
The static condition of the brickwork
dome was also satisfactory, after the
Scientific Paper 15
minimalist intervention described
above. No increase of the crack thick-
ness was recorded during an online
precision monitoring, by which the
verticality of the dome was also con-
trolled and found constant within a
few millimetres.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Lucia Gremmo,
Superintendent of the Architectural Heritage
in Milan and Giuseppina Vago, as well as to
Fritz Wenzel and Jean Louis Taupin for their
valuable assistance in the diagnosis and in the
development of the intervention, which has
now been implemented.
References
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Erhalten Historisch Bedeutsamer Bauwerke
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[1] Macchi G. Monitoring medieval structures in
Pavia. Struct. Eng. Int. 1993; 3(1):69.
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conceptionThe case of Pavia Cathedral. In
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