Seismic risk assessment of the Santa Maria a Vico bell tower: ambient vibration measurements and numerical model tuning

The paper investigates the dynamic characterisation along with the numerical model tuning and the seismic risk assessment of a monumental masonry tower in Italy namely the Santa Maria a Vico bell tower. Full-scale ambient vibration tests were performed under the impact of environmental loads. The technique of modal extraction in the frequency domain was applied. In-situ investigation survey was used in calibrating the refined 3D finite element model. The FEM tuning was carried out by varying the mechanical parameters and accounting for the restraint offered by the neighbouring buildings and the role of soil–structure interaction. The paper shows that the modal identification is a reliable technique that can be used in-situ for assessing the dynamic behaviour of monumental buildings. The tuned FEM model of the tower was usefully employed to determine the theoretical fundamental frequencies, which accurately fit the experiment data. Finally, the seismic performance of the bell tower was assessed using a non-linear static procedure based on the multi-modal pushover analysis and the capacity spectrum method. The results confirm that seismic events of moderate intensity can produce heavy damage to the masonry tower presented in this study.