Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milan, Italy; Corresponding author.
Simone Tiberti
Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Daniela Camilletti
Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Via Montallegro 1, Genoa, Italy
Gessica Sferrazza Papa
Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Ahmad Basshofi Habieb
Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Elisa Bertolesi
Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Gabriele Milani
Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Siro Casolo
Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Masonry arches and their typical failure do not fall elegantly into standard design and analysis methods. The system is highly dependent on geometry and failure is dominated by mechanization, not material strength. Focusing directly on the mechanized failure, this work presents the kinematic collapse load calculator (KCLC) for circular arches. The KCLC, a MATLAB® based graphical user interface, provides a simple interactive limit analysis of any ideal semi-circular masonry arch subjected to either an asymmetric point load or constant horizontal acceleration. After defining key geometric factors, the KCLC analyses the arch for any selected and kinematically admissible hinge configuration. For a selected configuration, an equilibrium approach to the upper bound theorem of limit analysis is used to calculate the collapse load multiplier and hinge reactions. The resulting collapse condition values are displayed and used to plot the thrust line that maintains a zero moment at the hinges. Designed primarily as an educational tool, the KCLC also provides a simple and efficient foundation for adapting to different arch geometries and loading conditions. Keywords: Masonry arch, Limit analysis, Kinematic approach, MATLAB®, Interactive analysis
