Experimental and Numerical Damage Assessment of the Garisenda Tower: Investigation by AE, Thermal, Seismic, and Permanent Strain Analyses

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of historic masonry structures, a topic of notable economic and cultural importance, has been gaining momentum, made possible by the rapid development of monitoring technology and methodology, and motivated by factors such as seismic events and the ever-increasing number of extreme weather situations experienced all over the world. In this scenario, this work intends to contribute to the state-of-the-art by showcasing a combined numerical and experimental methodology to the structural assessment of historical masonry structures. Specifically, this work presents thermal, permanent strain, dynamic response spectrum and operational modal analyses performed to evaluate the damage evolution in the Garisenda tower of Bologna. The analyses were performed with the use of a commercial FEA software, moreover in situ Acoustic Emission (AE), Fiber Optic Sensor (FOS), were also investigated. The proposed methodology could be a tool of choice for the SHM of historical masonry structures alike—such as towers—or it could even be extended to other types of constructions.