https://hdl.handle.net/10481/24981 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:01:21 GMT 2026-04-17T23:01:21Z https://hdl.handle.net/10481/108405 La cúpula del Panteón de Roma: hipótesis constructiva Líndez Vílchez, Bernardino En el siglo II, Roma domina por completo el Mediterráneo. Sus legiones avanzan por la Europa continental y llevan la civilización hasta las Islas Británicas. En este contexto, el emperador Adriano —probablemente el gobernante más poderoso y culto de la Roma Imperial— impulsa una de las mayores hazañas de la historia: la construcción de un edificio de hormigón romano capaz de albergar una esfera de proporciones colosales. El impresionante vano de 43,2 metros entre apoyos, que sostiene una masa de hormigón de 4.300 toneladas, parecía solo posible con la ayuda de los ángeles, según reconocía el propio Miguel Ángel, admirador de la belleza y perfección del edificio. Los números empleados en su diseño poseen una intensa carga simbólica —el 3, el 4 y el 7— que articula proporciones entre el conjunto y sus partes, consagrando así la universalidad icónica de su forma arquitectónica. El Universo se vincula con el corazón del edificio a través del óculo, que confiere un aura divina a la figura del emperador. La perfección absoluta de la obra hace visible el genio de Roma, ansiosa por rivalizar con el pasado y proyectarse hacia el futuro. Tras casi dos mil años, este gigante, atrapado entre la trama barroca de la ciudad eterna, permanece intacto y desafía imperturbable el paso del tiempo. La fascinación que ha suscitado en generaciones posteriores se refleja en los numerosos levantamientos de plantas, alzados, secciones y detalles constructivos que se han realizado. Muchos de ellos intentan explicar los métodos utilizados en la construcción de la cúpula, aunque sin alcanzar hipótesis totalmente convincentes. Tras analizar la compleja bóveda de cantería del toroide del palacio de Carlos V en Granada, comprendimos que la cúpula del Panteón de Roma solo podría haberse construido siguiendo un supuesto técnico similar. El uso de casetones de bronce como encofrado habría permitido levantar anillos de hormigón mediante hiladas en voladizo hasta alcanzar el quinto casetón. A partir de ese punto, una cimbra de listones de madera con la forma del casquete esférico restante —fabricada en taller y elevada mediante una polea sostenida por una estructura triangular— serviría de apoyo para trapecios radiales convergentes en el centro, rematados por un ángulo de 2 metros en el cierre del anillo ocular. De este modo, la cúpula se completaría con una notable economía de medios y una perfección geométrica que evitaban el uso de cimbras tradicionales y las estructuras de apeo asociadas.; In the second century, Rome completely dominated the Mediterranean. Its legions advanced across continental Europe and brought civilization to the British Isles. In this context, Emperor Hadrian—probably the most powerful and cultured ruler of Imperial Rome—promoted one of the greatest feats in history: the construction of a Roman concrete building capable of housing a sphere of colossal proportions. The impressive 43.2-meter span between supports, which holds up a 4,300-ton concrete mass, seemed only possible with the help of angels, as Michelangelo himself acknowledged, an admirer of the building's beauty and perfection. The numbers used in its design have an intense symbolic meaning—3, 4, and 7—which articulate the proportions between the whole and its parts, thus consecrating the iconic universality of its architectural form. The universe is linked to the heart of the building through the oculus, which confers a divine aura on the figure of the emperor. The absolute perfection of the work reveals the genius of Rome, eager to rival the past and project itself into the future. After almost two thousand years, this giant, trapped within the baroque fabric of the eternal city, remains intact and defies the passage of time. The fascination it has aroused in subsequent generations is reflected in the numerous floor plans, elevations, sections, and construction details that have been produced. Many of them attempt to explain the methods used in the construction of the dome, although without reaching entirely convincing hypotheses. After analyzing the complex stone vault of the torus in the palace of Charles V in Granada, we realized that the dome of the Pantheon in Rome could only have been built using a similar technical approach. The use of bronze coffers as formwork would have allowed concrete rings to be erected using cantilevered courses until the fifth coffer was reached. From that point on, a wooden slatted formwork in the shape of the remaining spherical cap—manufactured in a workshop and raised by means of a pulley supported by a triangular structure—would serve as a support for radial trapezoids converging in the center, topped by a 2-meter angle at the closure of the ocular ring. In this way, the dome would be completed with remarkable economy of means and geometric perfection, avoiding the use of traditional formwork and associated shoring structures. https://hdl.handle.net/10481/108405 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/87174 Probabilistic reliability assessment of existing masonry buildings: The church of San Justo y Pastor Ávila Cruces, Fernando José; Puertas García, María Esther; Gallego Sevilla, Rafael There exists a large number of masonry historical buildings with a high heritage value whose preservation has to be ensured. For this purpose, it is important to establish a methodology to assess their structural reliability in the case of extraordinary load events. Particularly, the materials and construction techniques employed in this kind of buildings make them especially vulnerable in the event of an earthquake. This paper presents and discusses a probability-based reliability analysis to determine the damage on existing masonry structures subjected to seismic loads. Geometric and material data are introduced in a three-dimensional FEM model, which takes into consideration the uncertainties that exist in the material properties. The reliability of the structure is determined via the definition of a Damage Index and carrying out a Monte Carlo-type analysis. The case of study presented in this paper is the church of San Justo y Pastor located in Granada, a seismic-prone region in southern Spain. https://hdl.handle.net/10481/87174 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/87169 Fracture behavior of rammed earth in historic buildings Arto Torres, Ignacio; Gallego Sevilla, Rafael; Cifuentes Bulte, Hector; Puertas García, María Esther; Gutiérrez Carrillo, María Lourdes Rammed earth is the construction system of many heritage structures and buildings in different regions of the planet, some of which are seismically active areas. For this reason, these historic buildings can sustain structural damage or have already been subjected to stresses that have led to high levels of cracking in the rammed earth walls. Therefore, knowledge of the fracture behavior of this material is essential to assess the actual state of structural safety and the remaining mechanical capacity. The number of studies on the fracture behavior of rammed earth is limited, and even fewer studies have considered lime as a stabilizer and used traditional materials. This study measured the density, ultrasonic pulse velocity, fracture energy and tensile strength of prismatic specimens with two different soil: lime dosages and found relationships between the different parameters analyzed and the dosages used. Finally, it was verified that the fracture behavior of rammed earth can be assumed to be similar to that of mass concrete from a qualitative standpoint. For this reason, rammed earth could be considered as a quasi-brittle material that follows Hillerborg's discrete crack model. This study is part of the project ‘‘Revalorización Estructural del Patrimonio Arquitectónico de Tapial en Andalucía” (Structural Revaluation of the Rammed Earth Architectural Heritage in Andalusia), ref. A-TEP-182-UGR18, within the framework of the European Regional Development Fund Programme of Andalucía 2014-2020), and the Research Group TEP167 Solid and Structural Mechanics. The authors has received additional support from the project PREFORTI (BIA2015 69938-R) entitled ‘‘Metodología sostenible de conservación y mantenimiento de fortificaciones medievales de tierra del sudeste de la Península Ibérica. diagnóstico y prevención ante riesgos naturales y antrópicos” (”Sustainable methodology for the conservation and maintenance of mediaeval rammed-earth fortifications in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula. Diagnosis and prevention against natural and anthropic risks”), financed by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Spanish National Research Agency) and the European Regional Development Fund. https://hdl.handle.net/10481/87169 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/87168 Mechanical characterization of lime-stabilized rammed earth: Lime content and strength development Ávila Cruces, Fernando José; Puertas García, María Esther; Gallego Sevilla, Rafael Earth construction techniques, such as rammed earth, are present worldwide due to the availability of the material and its mechanical performance. Today they are also attracting attention as an environmentally friendly way of building, although additivation is usually needed. Lime stabilization is an interesting option with long tradition, well-known capacity to improve soil properties and limited environmental impact. This study evaluates the effect of increasing lime contents in the compressive strength and stiffness of rammed earth, and analyzes the strength development process of the material. Carbonation depth and ultrasonic pulse velocity are also evaluated due to their relationship with the mechanical behavior. The results show that 12% lime maximized the compressive strength and stiffness of the rammed earth material; the strength was mostly developed during the first month but needs over a hundred days to be fully developed. A good linear correlation between the ultrasonic pulse velocity and the compressive strength is observed. This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Universities via a doctoral grant to Fernando Ávila (FPU18/03607). The study is part of the project ‘‘Revalorización Estructural del Patrimonio Arquitectónico de Tapial en Andalucía’’ (Structural Revaluation of the Rammed Earth Architectural Heritage in Andalusia), ref. A-TEP-182-UGR18, within the framework of the European Regional Development Fund Program of Andalusia 2014–2020, and has been carried out by members of the Research Group ‘‘Solid Mechanics and Structures’’ (TEP167) at the Sustainable Engineering Structures Laboratory (SES-Lab) of the University of Granada. https://hdl.handle.net/10481/87168 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/87165 FFRC and SASW nondestructive evaluation of concrete strength from early ages Martínez Soto, Fernando; Ávila Cruces, Fernando José; Puertas García, María Esther; Gallego Sevilla, Rafael Free-Free Resonant Column and Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves are two nondestructive testing techniques which are becoming increasingly relevant in construction engineering, as they offer the possibility of assessing the mechanical properties of the building materials without damaging the sample. In the present study, these two testing methods are applied on concrete samples with increasing curing times, from 9 h to 60 days, estimating the dynamic elastic modulus and proposing relationships to obtain the compressive strength from these values. The nondestructive results are compared with the actual strength of the material obtained via uniaxial compression tests, proving the accuracy of the proposed nondestructive testing methodologies, even for early ages. SASW tests are also carried out on a reinforced concrete sample, concluding that the presence of the reinforcement does not alter the results of the test. Keywords: Concrete; Early-age concrete; NDT; SASW; FFRC https://hdl.handle.net/10481/87165