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Dynamic characterisation of a historic bell-tower using a sensitivity-based technique for model tuning

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Abstract

The most relevant results of the vibration-based investigations performed on a historic masonry tower in Italy namely the Santa Maria a Vico bell-tower is here presented. The first part of the study involves preliminary full-scale ambient vibration measurements in operational conditions and dynamics-based finite element (FE) modelling. At first, a manual tuning of the uncertain parameters of the model was carried out to adjust material properties, soil-structure interaction and constraining effect of the neighbouring structures. Then, based on the sensitivity analysis, only the most sensitive parameters were chosen as updating parameters. Finally, a model updating technique based on a sensitivity-based method was used to minimise the error between experimental vibration data and numerical response values. To this aim, a residual vector defined as the weighted difference between the measured quantities and calculated quantities was used. The uncertain structural parameters of the FE model were identified by minimising a robust penalty function. The calibrated model was used as an important tool for the seismic assessment of the structure using pushover analysis. Since the assumed value of the masonry compressive strength is the most sensitive parameter of non-linear behaviour, a sensitivity analysis was performed considering reference values in the range of interest. The seismic safety corresponding to increasing levels of the seismic hazard was finally investigated.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their gratitude to Mr. Pasquale Crisci, Mr. Gennaro Di Lauro, Mr. Salvatore Froncillo and Mr. Alessandro Vari for their important support in the on-site measurements carried out on the tower. Mr. Massimo Romita is also acknowledged for designing and customizing the analogue filter inside the conditioner signal for the accelerometer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Roma 29, 81031, Aversa, CE, Italy

    Massimiliano Ferraioli

  2. Division Building Materials, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205, Berlin, Germany

    Lorenzo Miccoli

  3. Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Science, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133, Rome, Italy

    Donato Abruzzese

Authors
  1. Massimiliano Ferraioli
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  2. Lorenzo Miccoli
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  3. Donato Abruzzese
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Correspondence to Lorenzo Miccoli.

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Ferraioli, M., Miccoli, L. & Abruzzese, D. Dynamic characterisation of a historic bell-tower using a sensitivity-based technique for model tuning. J Civil Struct Health Monit 8, 253–269 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13349-018-0272-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13349-018-0272-9

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