Maurizio Acito

ICAR/09 - Structural engineering

The research activity is focused on the major issues of the engineering structural safety. The topics cover both aspects of structural safety of new buildings and the aspects of safety and preservation of historical and/or strategic buildings. Regarding the new construction, the activities of interest are related to the management of modern design of significant constructions, regarding the best/optimal structural choices considering the entire life cycle. Still referring to new constructions, a specific experimental research was conducted to characterize thermo-mechanical of Reinforced Concrete Filled Steel Tube columns subjected to fire, used in the realization of important constructions (hospitals, car parks, tall buildings, ecc.). Theoretical studies have been developed about characterization of the blast action and structural behavior problems of R.C. in the presence of blast actions.

Special attention was dedicated to the issue of seismic vulnerability assessment and to the definition of measures for the preservation and conservation of historical masonry buildings (towers, churches, castles, bridges). Still, attention was dedicated to the issue of seismic vulnerability of existing historical and/or strategic buildings, belonging to our heritage of R.C. constructions. In this context, the research activities consider the vulnerability and conservation issues related to the first examples of use of the R.C. technique, in particular, in the realization of the first R.C. arch bridges and in the realization of the most important R.C. tall buildings. The research activity uses both simplified analytical approaches and complex numerical approaches, based on thermo-mechanical analysis and on non-linear statics and dynamics analysis.