From June 7 to 12, 2026, the 15th International Symposium on Continuum Models and Discrete Systems (CMDS15) is being held in Rome at the Faculty of Civil and Industrial Engineering of Sapienza University. The symposium is one of the leading international events dedicated to the numerical modeling of structures and materials.

Among the scientific contributions featured at the conference is the paper entitled “Nonlinear Transient Analysis of EBC-Strengthened Masonry Arches Using the Discrete Macro-Element Method”, presented by Francesco Cannizzaro and co-authored by Monia Spagna, Ilaria Fiore, Davide Rapicavoli, Ivo Caliò, and Salvatore Caddemi from the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the University of Catania.

Research Background

Masonry arches represent a significant portion of the world’s architectural heritage and can be found in numerous civil, religious, and infrastructural works. Although their static behavior has been extensively investigated, the analysis of the dynamic and seismic response of strengthened arches remains a challenging task from a numerical modeling perspective.

The use of Externally Bonded Composites (EBC), such as FRP reinforcement systems, has become a well-established technique for improving the mechanical performance of these structures. However, simulating the nonlinear behavior of strengthened masonry arches generally requires highly detailed numerical models and considerable computational effort.

The DMEM Approach and HiStrA A&V

To address these challenges, the research employs the Discrete Macro-Element Method (DMEM), a numerical approach specifically developed to efficiently represent the nonlinear behavior of masonry structures.

The analyses were carried out using HiStrA A&V, the software platform based on the discrete macro-element approach, which enables advanced structural simulations while maintaining limited computational costs.

The study investigates both simple and buttressed masonry arches, evaluating different reinforcement configurations applied at the intrados and extrados. The structures are subjected to complete seismic simulations through nonlinear transient analyses, allowing a comparison between strengthened and unstrengthened configurations.

Results and Future Perspectives

The primary objective of the research is to assess the capability of the DMEM approach to reproduce the dynamic behavior of EBC-strengthened curved masonry structures while maintaining a low computational demand.

The results demonstrate that the method can provide responses that are qualitatively comparable to those obtained through more sophisticated modeling strategies, while requiring significantly lower computational resources.

The study also provides further validation of the proposed modeling approach and offers valuable insights into the effectiveness of the different strengthening configurations considered.

The presentation at CMDS15 confirms the growing interest of the international scientific community in advanced modeling tools based on the Discrete Macro-Element Method and their application to the analysis, assessment, and preservation of historic masonry structures.