Simplified analytical-numerical study of the static behavior of the hemispherical dome of the Roman Pantheon

Resumo

The interest in the recovery and maintenance of historical heritage requires mastery of the structural
behavior of old buildings. The historical curiosity of contemporary scholars in the builders of the past, and in the
construction methods adopted in ancient times, has currently sparked the development of knowledge, tools and
innovative theoretical approaches, which allow the understanding of monumental works of architectural and
historical interest, which has resisted time, as is the case with the Roman Pantheon. In order to understand how
these monuments were built, it is necessary to understand their structural response (displacements, efforts,
tensions, etc.), which is characterized by a complex problem. Current computational tools provide more realistic
approaches, which in turn also provide the opportunity for robust testing of more consistent analytical theories,
which allow in a simplified way to investigate the behavior of these structures, aiming to shed light on the
understanding of this “art of construction”. Thus, in this work, the static structural response of the hemispherical
dome of the Roman Pantheon with simplified geometry is investigated. A progressive analytical methodology
through the membrane and bending theory of spherical shells, as well as the finite element method (FEM) using
the SAP2000 software are used and compared to model the problem. The results obtained have a good correlation
with each other, which corroborates with the methodology used. In addition, with the analysis of the membrane
and bending efforts of the hemispherical dome, it was possible to discuss and relate them to the structural and
architectural conception adopted at the time.