ABSTRACT
The chapter presents a tuned Finite Element Model of the structure that is used for performing the damage sensitivity analysis, whereby a parametric reduction of the elastic moduli of the weakest structural parts is considered. The application of ambient vibration testing and operational modal analysis for the preventive conservation of monuments and sites has received an increasing attention. However, while the reliability of vibration-based Structural Health Monitoring techniques has led to the installation of permanent vibration-based Structural Health Monitoring systems for bridges and other critical infrastructures, documented applications to historical constructions are limited. A consistent finite element model of the tower has been built and calibrated on the basis of the experimentally identified natural frequencies. In this way, a good agreement between numerical predictions and experimental measurements has been obtained. The numerical model has constituted the basis to perform a damage sensitivity analysis, in order to investigate the influence of damage on the modal frequencies.
