ABSTRACT
The famous leaning Tower of Pisa stands since the end of the 14th century on "Piazza dei Miracoli" in the town of Pisa in Italy. It was originally intended to serve as the bell tower of the neighbouring cathedral, but its unusual tilt transformed it in one of the most visited tourist attraction in the world. The analysis focuses on a Limited Damage performance level, where the performance objectives are defined to ensure that the structure remains elastic for seismic events with a return period of 200 years. In addition to the elements constituting the fixed-base structure, the base-isolated structure has a rigid 50 cm thick annular concrete base plate inserted below the foundation level thus allowing to spread the weight of the tower on 16 elastomeric bearings. The seismic performance of the tower in its present state was first evaluated with response spectrum analysis, showing an excessive damage potential.
