Influence of uncertainties on the stability of rock cavities under gravity and seismic loads
Influence of uncertainties on the stability of rock cavities under gravity and seismic loads
The paper evaluates the stability under gravity and seismic loads of anthropic cavities, which have been extensively excavated in the volcanic tuff for sheltering, storage and extraction purposes in the subsoil of several historical centers throughout the provinces of Naples and Benevento (Southern Italy). The safety conditions were checked through stability charts, expressing the ratio between the rock uniaxial compression strength and the overburden vertical stress as a function of i) the cavity width, normalized to the roof thickness, and of ii) the peak ground acceleration. Four different stability zones are distinguished in each chart through boundary curves associated with three different probabilities of failure. The latter have been obtained by the authors through a reliability-based approach that considers the uncertainties due to the spatial variability of the rock uniaxial compression strength and the presence of discontinuities under gravity loads, as well as the uncertainty due to the input motions in seismic conditions. The predictions were compared with those obtained from the application of a more traditional deterministic approach, revealing that neglecting uncertainties may lead to an excessively unconservative assessment.
Filomena de Silva; Alessandro Flora; Mariano Nuzzo; F. Silvestri
4th International Symposium on the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Sites
Seismic Behaviour of Heritage Monuments: Observation, Modelling and Mitigation
https://doi.org/10.53243/tc301-2026-50