Abstract
A reliable procedure to identify the dynamic behaviour of existing masonry buildings is described in the paper, referring to a representative case study: a historical masonry palace located in Benevento (Italy). Since the building has been equipped with a permanent dynamic monitoring system by the Department of Civil Protection, some of the recorded data, acquired in various operating conditions, have been analysed with basic instruments of the Operational Modal Analysis in order to identify the main eigenfrequencies and vibration modes of the structure. The obtained experimental results have been compared to the numerical outcomes provided by three detailed Finite Element (FE) models of the building. The influence of Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) has been also introduced in the FE model by a sub-structure approach where concentrated springs were placed at the base of the building to simulate the effect of soil and foundation on the global dynamic behaviour of the structure. The obtained results evidence that subsoil cannot a priori be disregarded in identifying the dynamic response of the building.
Highlights
The structural analysis and the evaluation of seismic vulnerability of existing masonry buildings are often complicated by uncertainty on geometry, typologies and mechanical properties of the materials, effect of age and past loading history, presence of interventions with different building techniques and materials, etc
Similar linear dynamic analysis carried out by a different Finite Element (FE) model made of brick elements instead of shell [24] furnished, slightly different results, since only one frequency was individuated in X direction corresponding to a pure translational vibration mode very similar to the one detected in Y direction and with the same participating mass
Dynamic in situ tests combined with continuous monitoring of the building is an innovative, effective and non-invasive procedure able to assess the overall dynamic behaviour of the structure in terms of main vibration modes and eigenfrequencies
Summary
The structural analysis and the evaluation of seismic vulnerability of existing masonry buildings are often complicated by uncertainty on geometry, typologies and mechanical properties of the materials, effect of age and past loading history, presence of interventions with different building techniques and materials, etc These factors make each masonry structure a unique case, needing a detailed and specific analysis, especially in the case of heritage buildings, whose uncertainties make a reliable prediction of their dynamic behaviour difficult to be carried out. The traditional experimental procedures for dynamic identification [2,3,4,11,12], in which a measurable input such as hammer or a shaker is applied to the system and the induced response is later interpreted (input-output identification), are neither feasible nor practical for heritage structures [10] For this reason, output-only identification methods based on freely available ambient vibrations (from wind, traffic, ground motion, etc.) are becoming preferred. (2) evaluation of SSI effects on the dynamic behaviour of the building
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