Discrete element analysis applied to the cultural heritage: A preliminary 2D study on nuraghes

Numerical modeling and simulation of architectural heritage has become a topical subject with growing awareness of the importance of protecting and preserving cultural heritage around the world. In this study, a discrete element method (DEM) framework is developed to perform the structural analysis of masonry historical structures. A particular case study is presented for nuraghes, ancient masonry structures located in Sardinia (Italy). The adapted DEM framework is general and particularly suitable for the structural analysis of masonry structures and developed based on a hemivariational formulation to capture complex elasto-damage behavior. In the model, each discrete element is introduced as so-called augmented stone which consists of a rigid stone and surrounding deformable mortar layer. Assuming augmented stones are connected to each other by springs, elasto-damage behavior is modeled introducing suitable deformation and dissipation energy functionals, and the governing equations and damage laws (i.e., Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions) are obtained by the hemivariational formulation. An explicit-staggered scheme is adapted to perform the numerical simulations. The applicability of the adapted framework is shown via a case study, tuning simulation parameters and investigating different possible scenarios for nuraghes.