Abstract

The paper describes the seismic assessment of the San Felice sul Panaro Fortress (Italy), focusing the attention on the activation of the out-of-plane response of the North walkway, characterized by the presence of an apparatus of merlons which highlighted a significant damage after the Emilia earthquake (2012). Nonlinear kinematic analyses have been performed, referring to a macro-block model and considering both the original configuration and two different possible strengthened strategies. For the definition of the seismic input in terms of floor spectra, the analyses also benefitted from the results obtained for the global response through a detailed 3D model of the whole fortress. The results were coherent with the observed damage after the seismic event, highlighting in this way the reliability of the adopted modelling strategies and analysis method, and allowed to outline possible strengthening solutions targeted to minimize the impact on the monument and guarantee its preservation.