Structural identification and numerical models for slender historical structures

In the present chapter the theoretical basis of different methods developed for the calibration of FEMs are discussed. In general, Model Updating techniques are based on the use of appropriate functions that iteratively update selected physical properties (characteristics of the materials, stiffness of a link, etc.). In this way the correlation between the simulated response and the target value could improve if compared to an initial value. The FE model thus obtained can be used for a detailed structural analysis with a great confidence. The technique described in the first part of the chapter is applied to the evaluation of the structural properties of the tower of the Provincial Administration Building in Bari (Italy).The final purpose is to predict the performance of the tower to different combinations of static and dynamic loads, i.e. earthquakes or other induced vibrations. Ambient vibration tests have been performed on the above mentioned tower with the aim of determining its dynamic response and developing a procedure for modeling this building (Foti et al., 2012a). The Operation Modal Analysis (OMA) has been carried out both in the frequency domain and in the time domain to extract the dominant frequencies and mode shapes of the tower.