Survey, experimental tests and mechanical modelling of the dome of Pisa Cathedral: A multidisciplinary study

The present contribution illustrates the results obtained to date on an ongoing research study of the mechanical response and load capacity of the dome of Pisa Cathedral. A well-known feature of structural modelling is that it requires reliable data on the actual shape and material properties of the structure in question. Moreover, a comprehensive account of relevant historical and architectural aspects is needed as well. Hence, the starting point of our research work consisted of high-density, precision surveys. Both range-based (laser scanning) and image-based (3D photogrammetry) survey methodologies have been used to obtain different structural models. Furthermore, a set of experimental tests has been performed to evaluate the constituent masonry's properties. From the mechanical point of view, the research has focused mainly on structural analysis of the dome subject to vertical dead loads. The dome's mechanical behaviour is described by means of both analytical and numerical analyses. The results obtained via these different methods are discussed.