Eva Coisson

Università degli Studi di Parma (Italy), Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, dell'Ambiente, del Territorio e Architettura, Faculty Member

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BIOGRAPHY- Born in Florence (Italy) in 1977, living in Sant’Ilario d’Enza (Italy), Italian Citizenship- School periods in Palo Alto (CA, USA, 4 months) and Wanganui (New Zealand, 3 months).- Scientific high school (liceo scientifico) in Reggio Emilia (RE), ended with the highest grades (110/110)- In April 2001 she graduated in Civil Engineering at the University of Parma (grades 110/110 cum laude).- Since September 2001 she is enrolled to the Order of Engineers of Reggio Emilia (n. 1406).- In 2005 she received her PhD in Structural Engineering form the University of Parma with a thesis on history and disorders of Parma’s Cathedral.- From 2006 to 2014 she was Assistant Professor in Architectural Restoration at the University of Parma- Since 2014 she is Associate Professor in Architectural Restoration at the University of Parma.RESEARCH TOPICSHer research is focused on subjects related to diagnostics and structural analysis of historical structures, aimed at their conservation. Particularly, the research activity has inspected, through the on site study of the buildings, the documents research, the numerical analyses and the laboratory tests, the following aspects: - historical and archivist researches on the static-architectonic evolutions and on the evolution of disorders phenomena in monumental buildings
Supervisors: Carlo Blasi

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Papers by Eva Coisson

GIS Methodologies for the Management of Seismic Risk and the Damage Prevention on Masonry-Built Heritage

Rilem bookseries, Sep 1, 2023

Defining the Structurally Compatible Uses of Ancient Vaults: A Comparison between Traditional and Modern Modelling Approaches

Key Engineering Materials, Aug 1, 2019

The Conservation of Historical Architectural Heritage Cannot Be Limited only to a Series of Isola... more The Conservation of Historical Architectural Heritage Cannot Be Limited only to a Series of Isolated Interventions on Materials and Structures, but must Include Also the Maintenance or Insertion of Compatible Uses, which can Guarantee a Continuous Upkeep. the Exploitation of Heritage, nevertheless, is a Wedge Issue, as it Involves New Loads, more Wear, Different Environmental Conditions, which can Induce Changes in their Behaviour which are Hard to Foresee.This Contribution Aims to Analyse in Particular the Structural Issues Involved in the Use Changes or in the Adaptation of a Pre-Existing Use to New Functional or Normative Requirements. Indeed, for a Correct Management of the Built Heritage, the Choice of the Structurally Compatible Uses Cannot Disregard a Specific Analysis Aimed at the Identification of the Structure Bearing Capacity and Focusing on the Indications to Combine Functional and Structural Needs.The Proposed Case Study, on which the Approach is Applied, Regards the Pilotta National Museum, in Parma, that is Undergoing a Reorganization of the Visit Paths and a Reconsideration on the Uses Allocated to some Spaces. more Specifically, a Vaulted Room over a Long Barrel Vault is Asked to Host New Functions and Carry New Loads, Whose Compatibility with the Preservation of the Monumental Structure must Be Assessed.For the Assessment of the Structural Compatibility Levels, Different Modelling Approaches Have been Tested, in Order to Compare their Results and to Analyze their Pros and Cons in this Type of Evaluation. on One Side, Traditional Methods were Chosen: the Graphic Méry Method and the Heyman Limit Analysis Have been Applied to a System of 2D Arches Composing the Vault. on the other Side, the Edge Cutting Chronoengine Distinct Element Model Have been Also Tested, under the same Conditions. in all Cases, Calculations Have been Made Changing both Values and Positions of the Loads, Depending on the Requests for the New Use of the Vault.The Results are Compared both in Terms of Stresses inside the Masonry and in Terms of Deformation of the Structural Elements, Evaluating the Types of Information and Detail that the Different Approaches can Supply. the Results of the Numerical Method Allow to Assess the Validity of the Traditional Approaches. on the other Side, the Possible Contribution of the Traditional Methods to the Calibration of the Parameters for the Numerical Models is Also Discussed.The Results, at Last, will Be Adopted to Propose Limitations to the Possible Uses and to Give Specific Indications about the Setting up of the Museum Exhibitions.

Gis Analysis of the Seismic Damage on Historical Masonry Spires

The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, May 5, 2019

The Emilia 2012 earthquake highlighted the high vulnerability of historical masonry spires, at th... more The Emilia 2012 earthquake highlighted the high vulnerability of historical masonry spires, at the top of bell towers. Indeed almost half of the spires, in the area hit by the seismic event, show the loss of the top. The observed collapse mechanism consists in sliding of the spire top and in the resulting overturning. Once the emergency phase has passed, it is now a duty to learn from this traumatic experience and to provide new tools for the prevention of the destructive effects of future earthquakes. In this perspective, a geodatabase was designed, using the ArcGIS Pro software, for monitoring the vulnerabilities of the surveyed spires. Indeed, as we learn from the study of the effects of past earthquakes, seismic damages are recurrent for each building typology and therefore they can be predictable and avoidable. For example, by statistically elaborating the data of the designed database, a correlation arose between the levels of damage of the spires and their type of masonry arrangement. Indeed four different masonry typologies have been distinguished. The work then focuses on three damaged spires of churches belfries, proposing three consolidation hypotheses to prevent the future loss of the rebuilt top part of the spire. The structural analyses, performed with Abaqus CAE and detailed in a different work, showed that the same intervention produces different results on the different case studies: a demonstration that there is not an "absolute" best solution, but an intervention suitable for each case.

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History, Geometry, Structure: Interdisciplinary Analysis of a Historical Bridge

The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, May 4, 2019

In this paper, an integrated analysis of the geometric and photogrammetric surveys on a 19 th cen... more In this paper, an integrated analysis of the geometric and photogrammetric surveys on a 19 th century bridge is proposed as an instrument for the comprehension of the historical evolution of its structural disorders, of its present conservation status and as a reliable base to define future interventions. The studied 20 arches brick masonry bridge in Northern Italy, that reaches the length of nearly 600 meters, constitutes a very interesting case study, not only for the technical and structural issues related to its restoration and use (with increased traffic loads) but also for its geometry, that has strict connections with the design methods that lead its construction, based on proportions, and whose changes in time embody the present symptoms of possible structural illnesses. Moreover, the bridge shows many decay phenomena, whose treatment will require a large part of the restoration resources. For this reason, a precise quantification of the affected surfaces, also in the curved parts, is important for the definition of conservative interventions. To this aim, possible methods of mapping and measuring the decay phenomena starting from the photogrammetric survey are also discussed.

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Non-smooth Dynamic Analysis of Local Seismic Damage Mechanisms of the San Felice Fortress in Northern Italy

Procedia Engineering, 2016

The May 2012 seismic swarm, with epicenter in the Modena plane, in Northern Italy, had severe con... more The May 2012 seismic swarm, with epicenter in the Modena plane, in Northern Italy, had severe consequences on the historical buildings of the area. In particular, the fortified structures suffered specific, recurring damage and collapse mechanisms. The present paper deals with the case of the San Felice sul Panaro Fortress, which saw the collapse of 4 out of 5 towers and many other global and local effects. The work starts with an in-depth knowledge path, as a fundamental premise for a conscious intervention. The combination among historical analysis of the building, seismic history of the site, materials and pathological survey, structural identification, on-site inspections and tests, allowed to interpret the crack pattern and to identify the damage mechanisms activated by the earthquake, successively examined with specific structural analyses. In particular, the present paper concentrates on the numerical modelling of the identified local mechanisms, adopting a type of analysis first developed at the University of Parma for applied mechanics, based on the use of non-smooth dynamics software, through a Differential Variational Inequalities (DVI) formulation specifically developed for the 3D discrete elements method. It allows to follow large displacements and the opening and closure of cracks in dynamic field. Once the modelling instrument was calibrated, thanks to the comparison with the real damages previously inspected, it was also applied to foresee the behavior of the same mechanisms with different actions and with different types of strengthening.

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$Research paper thumbnail of The fractures of the French Panthéon: Survey and structural analysis$

The fractures of the French Panthéon: Survey and structural analysis

Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Feb 1, 2008

The French Panthéon has shown, both in ancient and recent times, several fractures in the stones ... more The French Panthéon has shown, both in ancient and recent times, several fractures in the stones of its masonry, which also caused the partial closure to the public visits in the latest decades because of the fall of stone fragments. The French Ministry of Culture and Communication commissioned a new study [Blasi C. Mémoire sur la stabilité et les lézardes du Panthéon Français, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication–Service National des Travaux, Direction du Patrimoine, Paris, 2005] to identify the causes of the present ...

Localized settlements of an ancient hospital foundation

Analyses for the conservation of the load bearing wooden structures of the Teatro Comunale in Modena

The Importance of Historical Documents for the Study of Stability in Ancient Buildings: The French Panthéon Case Study

The recent studies on the stability of the French Panthéon [1], commissioned by the French Minist... more The recent studies on the stability of the French Panthéon [1], commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, enabled to spot the causes of the structural disorders, thanks to a balanced fusion of historical analysis, precision surveys, experimental inspections and numerical modelling. The interest in these studies arouses also from the fact that the French Panthéon, designed by Soufflot with slender structures and innovative techniques and finished by Rondelet in 1790, can be considered as the first building for whom tests on materials and "modern" structural calculations have been carried out in a systematic manner.

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A Comparison Between Traditional and Modern Approaches for the Structural Modelling of Brick Masonry Barrel Vaults

12th International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions, 2021

Masonry vaults are widespread and characteristic structural elements of our built heritage since ... more Masonry vaults are widespread and characteristic structural elements of our built heritage since many centuries, but for a very long time they were built only based upon the experience and the proportional analysis of previous positive examples. Since the Hooke's observations, in 17th century, about the shape of the catenary, and the first graphical analyses of 18th century, the tools for their "scientific" calculation have developed quickly [1], mainly to assess the stability of already existing structures rather than for the prevision of the future behaviour of new vaults. Despite the great progress in this field, ordinary programs for the static and seismic assessment of masonry buildings often disregard the vaults structural role and the professionals sometimes underestimate it, also due to the lack of attention dedicated to these structures by the technical codes. Therefore it seems now important to reconnect the elements of this modelling historical evolution, to compare the different methods and to find an equilibrium between complexity and reliability, making it accessible also to the common professional use, whose effects on preservation are important. To this aim, a pavilion vault was chosen as a reference, with given geometries and materials features, and the different methods were applied. On one side, traditional methods were chosen: the graphic Méry method [2] and the static theorem of limit analysis [3] have been applied to a system of 2D arches composing the vault. On the other side, a 2D Finite Element Model and the edge cutting ChronoEngine Distinct Element Model [4] have been also tested, under the same conditions. The influence of the brick pattern on the structural behaviour have been considered, conveniently defining the arches decomposition in the traditional methods and the blocks division in the Distinct Element Method. In all cases, calculations have been made changing both values and positions of the loads. The results are compared both in terms of stresses inside the masonry and in terms of deformation of the structural elements, evaluating the types of information and detail that the different approaches can supply. The results of the advanced numerical methods allow to assess the validity of the traditional approaches. On the other side, the possible contribution of the traditional methods to the calibration of the parameters for the numerical models is also discussed.

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La Fabbrica del Duomo di Parma: quadro storico ed analisi critica dei suoi dissesti

Desidero ringraziare tutti coloro che hanno contribuito allo svolgimento di questa interessante e... more Desidero ringraziare tutti coloro che hanno contribuito allo svolgimento di questa interessante esperienza. In particolare il Professor Carlo Blasi, per aver allargato i miei orizzonti di studio oltre i confini dell'ingegneria, il Professor Daniele Ferretti per aver condiviso la sua esperienza sulla modellazione numerica, il Professor Ivo Iori per aver reso possibile questo studio accordandomi la sua fiducia, i Professori Jean Louis Toupin, Arturo Carlo Quintavalle, Bruno Adorni e Giovanni Leoncini per i preziosi suggerimenti e le fruttuose occasioni di confronto, l'Ing. Gualtiero Savazzini per il tempo, il materiale e le informazioni messe a disposizione, Don Bianchi per la cortesia e la competenza mostrata nell'introdurmi alla ricerca archivistica, il Professor Gianfranco Forlani, e i tecnici Roberto Prini e Maurizio Spagnoli, per le operazioni di livellazione della cripta, l'Arch. Cecilia Tedeschi per la grande disponibilità dimostrata nell'eseguire le misurazioni dell'ultim'ora, Sergio Catellani, Nicola Iori, Luca Nevi, Dimitry Papaioannu, Lorenzo Zerbini per i contributi grafici e il supporto morale e tutti i custodi della Cattedrale di Parma per la pazienza manifestata nelle mie numerose visite. Ringrazio inoltre la mia famiglia che mi ha incoraggiato a seguire questa strada e Giordano che mi ha accompagnato lungo il cammino.

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Masonry Spires: 3D Models to Understand their Seismic Vulnerability

Key Engineering Materials, Aug 1, 2019

The May 2012 Emilia earthquake has highlighted the important vulnerability of masonry spires at t... more The May 2012 Emilia earthquake has highlighted the important vulnerability of masonry spires at the top of bell towers of churches. Indeed, almost half of those in the epicentral area have shown a typical damage mechanism consisting in the shear sliding and overturning of the top of the spire. Given the recurrence of this phenomenon, the present paper tries to provide a contribution to the comprehension of the seismic behaviour of the spires through the numerical analysis of three case studies. In particular, the work analyses the spires of the churches of San Nicola di Bari in Cortile, near Carpi (MO); Sant'Egidio in Cavezzo (MO), and Sant'Agostino in Sant'Agostino (FE). The numerical models of these masonry structures were made using Abaqus Finite Element software. After the creation of the three-dimensional geometric models, a first nonlinear static analysis of the entire bell tower was performed adopting for masonry the Abaqus “concrete damage plasticity model”. Once the stability of the bell tower was verified for dead loads, the non-linear time-step dynamic analysis was faced. This required the definition of the seismic input at the base of the tower, through the accelerograms recorded by the closest stations. The nonlinear dynamic analysis of the global model of the bell tower provided the floor response spectra at the base and at the top of the spire. Indeed the comparison between spectra at the ground and at the top highlights the filter effect of the stem of the bell tower with a significant increase in accelerations at the top. This effect may explain the widespread damage observed at the top of the spires. Eventually, three different non-invasive intervention techniques were proposed in compliance with the principles of restoration and were modelled to compare their behaviour.

I dati del monitoraggio per la comprensione dei movimenti della torre Ghirlandina.The role of monitoring Tower movements

The management of vulnerabilities in cultural heritage: a possible model to parametrize the intervention priorities

Structural jacketing of brick masonry columns: A comparison among different solutions

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The seismic vulnerability of towers' masonry spires: learning from history

The May 2012 Emilia earthquake has once again underlined the high vulnerability of the spires tha... more The May 2012 Emilia earthquake has once again underlined the high vulnerability of the spires that often complete masonry towers and belfries. These daring structures, which are typical of the Lombard architecture, but later spread throughout Italy, can have the shape of a circular or polygonal cone and are usually made of clay brick masonry, sometimes topped by a stone decorative element. Indeed, this building feature was once even more widespread, as many cases were found of towers whose spire was damaged by an earthquake and that was then restored or rebuilt with a different-more stable-shape. Starting from the observation of numerous real cases, both in recent and historical earthquakes, some considerations are made on the type of collapse and on the shape and position of the damaged area. The recurrent types of seismic damage, consisting in the overturning or shear sliding of the top of the cone, are then analyzed with finite element models. One interesting observation that was made during the on site inspections refers to a very particular strengthening solution found in the bell tower of the Parma Cathedral, adopted as a paradigmatic example: a large timber log was hung to the top of the spire, anchoring the angel-shaped weather vane. Its weight contributes to the stability of the top part of the spire increasing both the shear strength and the overturning stability. Also this technical solution has been modelled in order to verify its contribution to the stability of the structure and to propose a possible up-to-date version for the reconstruction or strengthening of the recently damaged spires.

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Laser-Scanner Survey of Structural Disorders: An Instrument to Inspect the History of Parma Cathedral’s Central Nave

The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, May 15, 2017

This paper presents the use of laser scanner derived data for the study of the structural disorde... more This paper presents the use of laser scanner derived data for the study of the structural disorders in the central nave of the Parma Cathedral. An accurate three-dimensional model of the entire nave was realized to investigate deformations, in order to reconstruct the original conformation and the subsequent evolutions, also in comparison with previous surveys. Specifically, for the analysis presented in the paper, seven scans were performed, one for each bay: the results allowed to compare the deformations on the seven vaults, on the transverse and diagonal arches, giving first hints on the possible differences in the behaviour between the different elements. The measures on the levels of floor and pillars bases were analysed in a historical monitoring approach, in order to retrace the evolution of the differential settlements in time, since the construction of the building. Moreover, a structural analysis has been carried out on one transverse arch with distinct element analysis, with two different approaches. In one case, the structure was inserted exactly as surveyed, and then subjected to the actions. In the second case, the original geometry, before the deformation, was retraced through a parametric approach and the structural analysis basically started at the beginning of the building's life, thus trying to model not only the present structural situation, but also the path which led to the current deformation. The results were particularly meaningful as they showed that in the first case, disregarding the footsteps of history, the stress pattern inside the masonry was very different from the one obtained in the second case, which is more likely to represent the present conditions.

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L’anfiteatro di Durazzo

Archaeologiae Una storia al plural: Studi in memoria di Sara Santoro

Vulnerability Assessment of Italian Rationalist Architecture: Two Case Studies

12th International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions, 2021

The work is focused on the structural vulnerability assessment of two historical constructions, c... more The work is focused on the structural vulnerability assessment of two historical constructions, chosen as case-studies representative of a recurrent typology of Italian rationalist architecture, dating back to the Fascist period, often hosting public offices. Both examined buildings have similar dimensions and geometry, being characterised by five/six storeys and by an almost square plan with an inner courtyard. The older building, dating back to the Thirties and located in Ravenna, has a mixed masonry-reinforced concrete structure, while the other one, built in the late forties and located in Parma, is characterised by an unreinforced masonry structure with some limited reinforced concrete elements.

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Università e Impresa: due realtà a confronto attraverso l’esperienza di una convenzione di ricerca

Eva Coisson

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