Title: Trusted Trusses: Assessing the Bearing Capacity of Different Typologies of Concrete Trussworks

Author(s): Paola Condoleo and Roberto Felicetti

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 326

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 124.1-124.10

Keywords: concrete trussworks, damage, non-destructive techniques, built heritage, preservation

DOI: 10.14359/51711107

Date: 8/10/2018

Abstract:

This paper illustrates a study on the roof structures of the most ancient buildings at the main campus of the Politecnico di Milano. From a detailed survey, about 20% of the roof substructure was found to consist of reinforced concrete trusses built in the first decades of the 20th century. These trusses have the main function of bearing the roof, but they also support the underlying vaults. The analyzed buildings are characterized by trusses that differ in shape and size, depending on the company that was in charge of construction.

A first objective was to assess the material condition and possible distress by combining destructive (cores) and non-destructive techniques (ultrasonic tests, rebound hammer, carbonation and dynamic rebar hardness). The test results were instrumental for carrying out to check the truss members, in order to quantify their safety level according to the current regulations. The analysis made it possible to detect two critical cases, for which a strengthening intervention was proposed.

Besides the peculiarities of the case study, this diagnostic campaign could serve to establish reference procedures for a maintenance plan aimed at the preservation of one of the first examples of reinforced concrete trussworks in public buildings.