Understanding past rules of the art in columna-capreoli wood trusses

A transversely isotropic structural model for wood, based on a polytope strength criterion, is proposed and deployed in the analysis of solid wood columna-capreoli A-trusses reproducing the geometry and connection details of those currently erected in the Aula Magna of the Monastery San Lorenzo ad Septimum in Aversa. The predictivity of the polytope strength criterion is assessed verifying its capability of identifying the closest crisis mode against experimental evidence from a simple flexural test, with minimal wood sacrifice. The model is employed in parametric optimization analyses to infer a design provision for the columna-capreoli connection which appears to be in reasonable agreement with the rule of the art empirically inferable from the observation of many samples of open-node King Post A-trusses belonging to the architectural heritage in Campania of historical and artistic value. A final discussion examines a perspective of extending these optimization analyses to the sustainability of the built environment.