Proof of Concept for Methodological Framework Including Point Clouds in the Non-Destructive Diagnosis of Historical Masonry Structures

The diagnosis of cultural heritage structures is a challenging and delicate task. It involves the evaluation of potential pathological situations, the understanding of the origin of displacements and deformations, and the assessment of the state of conservation of building materials. Destructive and minor destructive techniques are mostly prevented from being used in the context of historical constructions and the complementary use of non-destructive techniques is often the only viable solution. This paper addresses the possibility of employing point clouds, widely used for representation aims, as a source of information to identify the deterioration patterns that can affect construction safety. The proposed methodology includes two approaches following a perspective based on simple and recurring elements that form the complex and unique shape of historical buildings. The geometry of structural elements guides the choice towards the computation either of the Z-coordinate of each point of the cloud or the Euclidean distance between the point cloud and an elementary non-deformed geometry fitted to it. By investigating several case studies and diverse deterioration patterns, the proposal establishes a framework to employ point clouds, together with other techniques, as an effective tool to support the diagnosis of heritage structures.