CHAPTER 9: AQUEDUCTS – A CASE STUDY

The Medicean Aqueduct of Pisa (Tuscany, Italy), is a relevant historical infrastructure built at the end of the XVI century, composed of 954 masonry arches over a total length of 6 km. Many of the arches are affected with several decay phenomena, which occurred during the years. These have changed the original static arrangement, so that several arches are collapsed or degraded. In view of the conservation of this relevant infrastructure, in the present study the procedure provided by the ISO 13822 for the assessment of existing masonry structures is applied; such procedure is a useful tool for the survey of the current state of the building and the resistance of the materials. In particular the present case study shows the importance of the careful observation of the deterioration phenomena for the comprehension of the causes and the possible evolution of the damage mechanisms.