Condition Assessment of an Early Thin Reinforced Concrete Vaulted System

For the analysis and conservation of architectural heritage a multi-disciplinary approach is required. In the specific case of early concrete buildings, survey and experimental investigations constitute a fundamental source of information for verifying the actual structural behavior and the residual safety levels. This paper reports the direct experience acquired from an extensive experimental campaign conducted on the Paraboloide in Casale Monferrato. The study aims to be an example of how condition assessment of the structural heritage of the early 1900s, with an apparently simple geometric shape and composition, can actually contribute in understanding hidden structural complexity. Moreover, this work may provide useful information to researchers and practitioners who are approaching this specific structural typology (e.g., the industrial heritage represented by parabolic concrete silos). In more details, results are presented regarding the in-situ investigations, and the laboratory tests carried out to analyze the mechanical performance inherent to both (i) local aspects of the structure, such as the quality of the materials and connections, and (ii) global aspects, such as the modal response of the structure. Furthermore, considerations are made on the results of the experimental campaign, also through the corroboration of numerical models.