SEISMIC VULNERABILITY OF THE NEPTUNE STATUE IN FLORENCE WITHIN A MULTI-HAZARD STUDY

The present work aims to study the earthquake vulnerability of the Neptune iconic statue in the Signoria Square in Florence using a nonlinear finite element approach. This contribution is also part of a larger multi-hazard study promoted by the University of Florence in association with the Politecnico di Torino to protect the artistic and cultural heritage, investigating multi-hazard conditions effects, to predict damages and, in a subsequent phase, find out possible mitigation measures. Starting from a laser-scanner survey of the statue, an accurate nonlinear model is prepared to reproduce the overturning conditions of the statue by simulating contact conditions between the statue and the pedestal. An incremental dynamic analysis has been then conducted by referring to a suite of characteristic accelerograms to the site under investigation to determine the seismic safety conditions.