I saw these anchors all over Italy on old (prob medieval) buildings - they look like some kind of wall anchor? I haven't been able to successfully search what they were really used for.. so any info would be appreciated! (on the photo they are the bars on the building facade that look like the top of a pick)

You see similar anchors on old buildings in the UK as well.

 

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

I would assume they are to prevent the walls from spreading, likely tied to the opposite wall with rods of some kind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchor_plate

For other examples

Those attach to horizontal metal rods that provide tensile reinforcement from one side of the masonary building to the other.

(I think...)

I imagine they prevent the walls from falling off.

Many buildings of that period have walls with a relatively thin stone inner and outer wall, with rubble fill in between.

I'd guess that the anchors tie the inner and outer walls together.

I'd go with the masonary support.  The ones on the brick buildings in San Francisco aren't quite so picturesque, though.

see Figure 12 in this: http://www.world-housing.net/uploads/brick_Masonry.pdf

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Masonry fundamentals: Compression good,tension in bending bad.

Star to IRstuff for his/her excellent web seaching skills.

Thank you! Good info

I agree.  

Done a lot of retrofitting of older brick structures and it is essential to tie the floor structure to the brick with horizontal straps with external metal rosette bearing plates. The system works as a unit.  If you lose either one, the building will fail.  

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

Old buildings often suffer from a range of issues which include inadequate foundations, the use of lime mortar and very heavy roofs.
Over time things move and this is an effective way to hold them together.
I'm think that in some industrial buildings they were not added afterwards but included in the original construction, but I could be wrong here.

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

"inadequate foundations"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2047021/Big-Ben-leaning-Times-tilting-clock-tower-London.html

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I lived in building when these anchors were retro fitted (UK). It was done when the whole building was refurbished. that is all the timber right down to the joists were removed due to dry rot. the "anchors" are plates on the ends of huge steel rods that go right through the building and are needed to stop the building collapsing (lozenging) when floor joists were removed.

common on older single skin buildings

www.priamengineering.co.uk

These are cross building tie rods - basically installed to prevent the building from experiencing global collapse.  Presently involved with a 150 year old building that doesn't have these installed.  Assume that the only thing that keeps the building from going down is the friction of the light wood floor and roof where the joists bear on the brick.  Building has experienced differential settlement and an earthquake in 1975, but still continues to stand.  Stucco was installed on the outside of the building - which camouflages the cracks.

First story brick walls are three wythes thick (with some areas eroded by water over the years) and the 2nd story with just two wythes.

People don't want the building to be demolished but there doesn't seem to be the money to shore the building until funds can somehow be obtained to shore and restore the building.