Acoustic Emission Monitoring and Thrust Network Analysis of the Central Nave Vaults of the Turin Cathedral

Due to their age, elevation, and prolonged exposure to both static and dynamic loading conditions, historical constructions and old masonry structures such as medieval and Gothic cathedrals, bell towers, and other similar structures, are particularly vulnerable. The central nave vault of the Turin cathedral was subjected to an acoustic emission (AE) monitoring technique for structural integrity assessment. These findings are correlated with the evidence from the Thrust Network Analysis (TNA) performed on the cathedral’s central nave vault, taking into account the additional elements added at the start of the XXth century to lessen horizontal forces. In this situation, the analysis’s findings are strictly correlated to the vault’s 3D AE localization, which was obtained by the triangulation method.