In-plane shear tests on masonry panels with plaster: correlation of structural damage and damage on artistic assets

In the paper, possibilities of correlation of structural damage and damage of attached artistic assets on multi-leaf stone masonry walls by means of destructive and non-destructive testing (NDT) methods are investigated. Results from two testing campaigns carried out at the University of Genoa and University of Ljubljana are briefly presented. In particular, diagonal tests with different levels of pre-compression and shear tests under different boundary conditions were carried out in Genoa and Ljubljana, respectively. During the tests, different damage limit states (DL) of both masonry walls (SE) and attached plasters (AA) were investigated by means of NDT’s. Two different types of rubble stone masonry were considered (uncoursed random rubble vs. coursed squared rubble). For AA the results are presented in relative form in dependence from the DL of SE. Obtained results are influenced both by the type of test and tested masonry. Results of NDT revealed strong potential and a need for data fusing of both investigated methods for the evaluation of the state of the degradation behind the plaster.