Evaluation of safety coefficient of pointed masonry arches throw the static theorem of limit analysis.

The valuation of the safety of the masonry pointed arches, subjected to vertical loads in the their plane, has been pursued whether evaluating the collapse multiplier of the live loads, or calculating the lowest admissible thickness for assigned loads, by a linear formulation founded on the Static Theorem of the Limit Analysis. The pointed masonry arches, discretized in rigid voussoirs, are studied with the assumption of: - inability to carry tension for the contact interfaces - limited compressive strength at interfaces obtained considering the closed parabolic N-M yield domain opportunely replaced by a piecewise linear yield domain having six or eight sides - provision for blocks to slide with dilatancy. As far as it concerns the modeling -with regard to ordinary masonries made of stones, or of bricks having small dimensions compared with the dimensions of the structure-, we have verified that good results can be obtained already with a discretization of the masonry arches by a limited number rigid blocks. The solution and the evaluation of the collapse mechanism are obtained with Excel program’s solver.