Personale docente

CURRICULUM STUDIORUM

In 1995 she finished a scientific high school with the highest grades.

In April 2001 she graduated in Civil Engineering at the University of Parma with a thesis on "Laser Interferometry measuring method (ESPI) and its application to metal glued joints". Tutor Prof. Ing. I. Iori, co-tutor Dott. Ing. D. Ferretti. Grades: 110/110 cum laude.

Since September 2001 she is enrolled to the Order of Engineers of Reggio Emilia (n. 1406).

In 2002 she won the prize for the best student in Civil Engineering at the University of Parma (for the academic year 1999/2000).

In 2003 she won (ex-aequo) the "Guglielmo Marconi" graduation prize for the best graduation thesis in Civil Engineering (for the academic year 2000/2001).

In 2005 she received her PhD in Structural Engineering form the University of Parma with a thesis on history and disorders of Parma’s Cathedral. Tutor Prof. Ing. D. Ferretti, co-tutor Prof. Arch. C. Blasi.

In 2006 she obtained a University post for Research Associate in Restoration, at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Parma.

Since October 2014 she is Associate Professor in Restoration at the University of Parma, carrying out her research activities within the Department of Engineering and Architecture.

TEACHING ACTIVITY

Professor of "Architectural Restoration" (Degree Course in Architectural Sciences) at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Parma, from 2006 to 2009 and from 2014 to 2018.

Professor of "Laboratory of Conservation and Restoration" (Degree Course in Architecture) at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Parma, since 2006.

Professor within the "Final Synthesis Laboratory in Analysis and Reuse of Historical Buildings" (Degree Course in Architecture), coordinated by Prof. Carlo Blasi, at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Parma, since 2006.

Scientific coordinator of the "Refresher course on design and strngthening of masonry buildings in seismic areas (with reference to historical and cultural heritage)" for the Order of Engineers of Reggio Emilia (May to October 2010).

Teaching activities for the "Refresher course on laws for structural safety and seismic protection of buildings", Order of Architects of Brescia (2006).

Teaching activities for the "Refresher course on the application of the new technical and seismic protection laws", Orders of Building Surveyors of Piacenza, Parma and Reggio Emilia (2006).

Teaching activities for the IFTS Course - Advanced Building Surveyor - at the Building School of Parma.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

She developed her research activity mainly at the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture at the University of Parma, with some research missions in Italy and abroad (Turkmenistan, China, Syria, Albania).
Her research activity is focused on diagnosis and safety assessment of historical structures, aimed at their conservation. In particular, the research activity has inspected, through the direct study of the buildings, on site tests, document research, numerical and laboratory analysis, the following aspects:
- development and application of the empyric-experimental method for the conservation of historical structures;
- structural diagnosis and identification, including elaboration and interpretation of data from automatic monitoring systems;
- dynamic tests on structural elements;
- theoretical-experimental studies on the application of fiber-reinforced materials in the restoration of historical buildings;
- mechanical charcaterization of materials in archaeological sites;
- stability analysis of monuments with numerical models.

Development and application of the empyric-experimental method for the conservation of historical structures.
The combination of the fundamental historic analysis on existing buildings with the direct knowledge of their materials, structures and disorders is a basic step to direct the structural calculations toward the damage mechanisms which appeared already on the building or on those typical of each building typology. Recovering the typical empyrical knowledge of the past builders, of the XIX century manuals, of the direct contact with the building and its pathologies become an essential step to reach a general knowledge of the building. This complete knowledge is the starting point for conservation, also from the structural point of view. Even the archival research, if it is carried out with a specific attention to the static-architectural aspects and are accompanied by comparison studies on site, can bring meaningful indications not only on the present static situation, but also on the transformations to which the building was subjected in time and their real cause, often hidden behind style choices, together with all the path that lead to the present decay conditions. The history of modifications and restorations which occurred in the past can give in a relatively short time quantitative elements on the evolution speed of decays and disorders, which can be compared with the ones obtained with many years of monitoring with modern instruments. This different way of looking at monuments and their history was the base of all the static analysis on the examined buildings and has allowed in some cases, like the Parma Cathedral, the French Panthéon and the Ghirlandina tower, to bring positive contributions to the knowledge on their history, retracing the development of their disorders.

Structural diagnosis and identification, including elaboration and interpretation of data from automatic monitoring systems.
The structural diagnosis is one of the main fields in the preliminary studies of monuments, which should always be accompanied by a structural identification phase, to identify the pathologies and the damages in order to address more precisely the possible inspection techniques. The research activity on this field was particularly concentrated on the processing of data from automatic monitoring systems. More specifically, data were analysed from the Parma Cathedral, the Church of San Francesco in Arezzo, the Ghirlandina tower and the Brunelleschi's dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. To process and understand the great amount of data coming from complex automatic monitoring systems, which are influenced by temperature and water table level variations and have often discontinuous data capturing, a specific algorithm was developed to separate the seasonal reversible variations from the cumulative irreversible components of the deformations. Moreover, correlation studies between structural data and temperature allowed to improve the comprehension of movements and mechanisms affecting the different parts of the monument. These studies on the examined structures allowed to identify the ongoing damage mechanisms and to identify the ones which are evolving more rapidly, concentrating on these areas the inspections and the specific modeling.

Dynamic tests on structural elements.
To know the stress state inside structural elements is important both to understand the static behaviour of the building, spotting any anomaly, and to validate numerical models. Among the many existing techniques, the research focused on the evaluation of the stress in metal tie rods inside historical buildings, using a combination of static and dynamic tests in order to estimate also the constraint level at the extremity. This method was applied on the roof system of the Church of the Monte Oliveto Maggiore Abbey, to the Medici Stables in Poggio a Caiano, to the Cathedral of Parma.

Theoretical-experimental studies on the application of fiber-reinforced materials in the restoration of historical buildings.
The basic research on composite materials concerned on one hand the mechanical characterization of these materials in their application for the strengthening of structural elements, on the other hand the study of the possible compatibility problems that these applications can have when they regard buildings of high historical and cultural value. The laser ESPI technique was applied in laboratory tests to measure displcaments in structural elements strengthened with carbon fiber plates, in order to define the bond law. On a higher scale, masonry columns were tested with different types of hoops (metal, carbon fibers with resin, carbon fibers with cement) and different geometries in order to evaluate the structural efficiency in relation to the different conservative and aesthetic impact. On the base of these tests and on a research on other applications of composites on historical buildings, the theoretical point of the relation between this type of interventions and the principle of restoration was deepened.

Mechanical charcaterization of materials in archaeological sites.
Another branch of research, carried out with instruments expressly designed for the application in difficult conditions, regarded the on site evaluation of the mechanical characteristics of the building materials in some archaeological areas, to allow the subsequent numerical modelling. In particular, the mechanical properties of adobe bricks in the archaeological site of Nisa (Turkmenistan) were tested on site with compression, bending and indirect traction tests. Some tests were also designed to define the behaviour of joints between the stone blocks of Angkor Vat temples (Cambodia). At last, some simple applications were also developped for a qualitative monitoring of the disorders of the Roman Amphitheatre of Durres (Albania).

Stability analysis of monuments with numerical models.
The numerical modeling of ancient masonry structures is a very complicated problem, because to the complexity of an etherogeneous, anisotropic and fragile material we add the uncerteinties on the actions occurred during centuries, on the real characteristics of the materials, of the building techniques and on the modifications.
Nevertheless, these studies can give a useful aid to the comprehension of the machanical behaviour of parts of complex buildings, to validate hypothesys on the origin of disorders and to model, before they are carried out, the possible strengthening interventions. In particular, the distinct element method, borrowed from geothecnical engineering, revealed to be very suitable to model the macro-elements which compose the masonry structures, particularly when large movements are concerned. It was therefore applied to many cases of historical structures, like the stone galleries of Angkor Vat temples in Cambodia, the stone bridge of Mostar in Bosnia, some parts of the French Panthéon and the crypt of the Parma Cathedral. In other cases, the finite element method was instead applied: the domes of the French Panthéon, the Monte Oliveto Maggiore Church, the Ghirlandina tower and underlying soil, some buildings of the Citadel of Damascus in Syria, the Grand Duc Adolphe bridge in Luxembourg, some timber elements in the Modena Municipal Theatre and the now disappeared adobe dome of Nisa in Turkmenista. Some analyses were also carried out to compare the results obtained with the different methods,in particular in the case of the crypt of Parma Cathedral.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS, CONTRACTS AND PROJECTS

RESPONSIBLE
1. “Analysis of the structures of the Castle of Montecchio Emilia in relation to the excavation for the re-opening of the ancient moat", research contract funded by the Municipality of Montecchio Emilia (2008).
2. “Project for strengthening and restoration interventions in the Citadel of Damascus”. Research Contract funded by the Italian Foreign Ministry in agreement with the Syrian Ministry of Culture. Key Expert 1: C. Blasi, Key Expert 2: E. Coïsson (2008).
3. “Analysis and diagnosis of the damaged structures of the Citadel of Damascus”. Research Contract funded by the Italian Foreign Ministry in agreement with the Syrian Ministry of Culture. Key Expert 1: C. Blasi, Key Expert 2: E. Coïsson (2007).

PARTICIPANT TO NATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS:
1. National research program (COFIN 2002/2004): “Damage mechanics and durability of ordinary and high-performance concrete". Scientific coordinator: Prof. G. Romano, Università di Napoli; Local coordinator: Prof. I. Iori, Università di Parma.
2. National research program (PRIN 2008): “Operative protocols for cultural heritage knowledge and safety from seismic risk, in step with the Directive dated 12th October 2007 (G.U. n.24 del 29/01/08)”. Scientific coordinator: Prof. C. Blasi, Università di Parma; Other participants: Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, Università di Catania.

PARTICIPANT TO RESEARCH CONTRACTS:
1. “Assessment of the static conditions and proposals for the strengthening of the inner loggia of the Fontanellato Castle". Research contract funded by the Municipality of Fontanellato. Responsible C. Blasi (2008).
2. “Surveys, static analysis and conservation inspection for the San Liborio Chapel in Colorno”. Research contract funded by Cariparma Foundation. Responsible Prof. Carlo Blasi (2008).
3. “Feasability study of the Identeuropa Project for the Monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Busseto”. Research contract funded by Cariparma Foundation. Responsible Prof. Carlo Blasi (2008).
4. “Monitoring activity aimed at the experimental study on the stability of the dome of the Santa Maria del Quartiere Church in Parma”. Research contract funded by Cariparma Foundation. Responsible Prof. Ivo Iori (2008).
5. “Technical assessment and plan of the seismic strengthening interventions (Manara school and sports hall). Research contract funded by the Municipality of Borgo Val di Taro. Responsible: C. Blasi (2008).
6. “Survey, analysis and stability assessment on some timber structures in the Municipal Theatre of Modena”. Research contract funded by the Municipality of Modena. Responsible C. Blasi (2007).
7. “Precision architectural survey of a painted wall in the Sansepolcro Museum”. Research Contract funded by the Regional Office for Cultural Heritage. Responsible C. Blasi (2007).
8. “Architectural survey and static assessment of the Ghirlandina Tower in Modena”. Research contract funded by the Municipality of Modena. Responsible C. Blasi (2006).
9. “Architectural survey and static assessment of the Santa Maria del Quartiere Church in Parma”. Research contract funded by Cariparma Foundation. Responsible C. Blasi (2006).
10. “Seismic assessment of two schools”. Research contract funded by the Municipality of Borgo Val di Taro. Responsible C. Blasi (2006).
11. “Seismic assessment of the Santa Maria del Taro school”. Research contract funded by the Municipality of Tornolo. Responsible C. Blasi (2006).
12. “Surveys, decay analysis, static assessment and indications on the restoration interventions for the balustrade and the stoop of the Steccata Church in Parma". Research contract funded by the Ordine Costantiniano di San Giorgi. Responsible C. Blasi (2006).