Inspection, diagnosis and modelling of Azurara church in the north of Portugal

Abstract

Santa Maria de Azurara church is a XVI century church in Portugal, classified as a national monument since 1910. The building shows not only the influence of the Manueline architectural style (Portuguese late Gothic style), but also Baroque and Mannerism styles. Presently, the church presents some structural and non-structural problems, so an inspection and diagnosis of the main building pathologies was carried out. This process was assisted by non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques which included sonic tests, ground penetrating radar (GPR) and Schmidt hammer for masonry elements and Pilodyn and ultrasonic pulse velocity for the timber elements. In addition, scanning electron microscope and x-ray diffraction analysis were used for mortar and stone characterization. Furthermore, dynamic identification tests were performed. Numerical analysis was performed to assess the nonlinear behaviour of the structure under different load conditions. In order to create an accurate model, material properties were estimated from the non-destructive tests and the dynamic properties were used to calibrate the model. A nonlinear static analysis (pushover) considering both vertical and horizontal loading was carried out in order to obtain the maximum load factor for the structure.