Seismic collapse assessment of a historical masonry structure through vision based data fusion finite element modeling and shaking table testing

Abstract

This study investigates the application of Digital Twin (DT) approach for structural health monitoring (SHM) of historical buildings. In this work, a digital twin of a specific historical minaret has been developed, and its structural behavior under seismic loads has been analyzed. The digital twin was developed as a Finite Element Model (FEM) in the ANSYS^® environment, based on the geometry and material properties of the structure. To assess the accuracy of the model, comparisons were made with experimental modal analysis results. Furthermore, to visualize the dynamic response of the structure under earthquake loads, a simulation was carried out in the Blender^® environment. In the simulation, the seismic loads applied to the finite element model were represented by three-dimensional animations, and the damage zones in the model were observed. The results demonstrate that the digital twin approach offers significant advantages in evaluating the seismic behavior of historical buildings and integrating it into SHM processes. This study provides an example of how the combined use of digital twin and finite element modeling techniques can enhance structural analyses of cultural heritage buildings.