ALMEIDA, CELESTE1; GUEDES, JOÃO PAULO2; ARÊDE, ANTÓNIO3; COSTA, ANÍBAL4

1) Researcher, FEUP, Department of Civil Engineering , celeste.almeida@fe.up.pt

2) Assistant Professor, FEUP, Department of Civil Engineering, jguedes@fe.up.pt

3) Associate Professor, FEUP, Department of Civil Engineering, aarede@fe.up.pt

4) Full Professor, U. Aveiro, Department of Civil Engineering, acosta@civil.ua.pt

This paper aims defining a geometry index which allows classifying the irregularity of stone masonry walls by direct observation of the elevation texture. This classification is based on indicators proposed in procedures developed in Italy, complemented with new tools and criteria. In particular, the evaluation of the geometric irregularity is done through a set of partial indices that consider the shape and size of the stones, as well as its organization along horizontal and vertical alignments. This methodology was applied in twenty-four masonry walls selected from old buildings located at Porto city centre, in Portugal. At the end, a classification is proposed based on irregularity levels graded according to the ranges of the different indices found for the analysed walls.

Keywords: Stone masonry walls. Geometric characterization. Indices methodology.