Shake Table Testing of Two Historical Masonry Structures for Estimation of Their Seismic Stability

Reliable estimation of seismic stability of structures built in seismically active regions is an objective that requires a complex investigation and different types of activities. For historical structures and monuments, this requirement is even more essential, because many of them represent unique heritage structures. In- situ testing of a monument for defining dynamic characteristics and seismic testing of scaled models represent the recommended activities to be considered as mandatory. Shake table testing of a scaled monument model provides valuable information about its seismic stability – weak parts and development of failure mechanism – as well as the crucial points of the structure that should be considered when designing the health monitoring system. This paper presents the results obtained by the shake table testing of scaled models of two historical masonry structures: the Old Bridge in Mostar and the ancient Protiron structure in Split. The monitored seismic response presented herein by the measured accelerations, relative and absolute displacements, and strains, as well as the damage identification during the shake table tests, provided essential information about their seismic stability, failure mechanism, and weak points. The obtained results have been used for verification of the analytical models for these two monuments, while the prospective of the conclusions derived from the tests has a possible implementation in planning their health monitoring system.