Seismic Assessment of Historic Masonry Towers: Non-invasive Techniques and Analysis Methodologies

This chapter reports methodologies and numerical approaches to be employed to evaluate the seismic risk of historic masonry towers, discussing the expeditious experimental techniques (i.e., without direct contact with the masonry construc- tion) that can be employed to estimate the data needed for the subsequent structural analyses. In particular, the seismic risk assessment was evaluated according to the Italian Guidelines investigating two different levels. The first (named LV1, analysis at territorial scale) allows to evaluate the collapse acceler- ation of the structure by means of simplified models based on a limited number of geometrical and mechanical parameters, as well as qualitative tools such as visual inspections. The second (named LV3, global analysis) consists of a full seismic analysis of the whole structure by proper numerical models. The results obtained with the two levels refer to illustrative case studies. These results are presented, compared, and critically discussed in order to extrapolate more general conclusions.