“Knowledge and qualification of three ancient masonry churches in Pomarico (Italy)”

Materials characterization represents a crucial point for the assessment of structural safety of old masonry structures. It usually comprises visual inspections, drilling and mechanical tests on site and of some laboratory tests on masonry samples. However, their results can significantly vary since the masonry may be typically very irregular and heterogeneous in a structure. Recently, many efforts have been conducted in developing standard procedures of performing and interpreting the data of experimental tests. In this way on-site results may be repeated and compared among them for structural diagnosing and monitoring, and for controlling interventions locally applied within a structure. Moreover, it is also possible to classify potential pathological events and, consequently, to implement innovative solutions that could extend the interventions durability. In this paper the analyses and qualifications of the three ancient masonry churches in Pomarico (Italy) are presented. The obtained on-site results of nondestructive tests and the restorations interventions are illustrated and compared among them.