Research on Dynamic Properties of Ancient Masonry Pagoda with Solid Structure in China

ABSTRACT

In order to study the dynamic properties of the pagoda with solid structure when affected by an earthquake, take the Xuanzang Pagoda as an example which is one of the World Cultural Heritage Architecture Sites. An 1/8-scale model was constructed for a shaking table test. The principle properties of the structural damage were observed. The natural vibration period of the structure and the acceleration and displacement responses excited by the seismic waves were measured. The structure mode was calculated with the Finite Element Method. The fundamental mechanical parameters were determined with reference to the test result. The dynamic responses of the structure were calculated, and the simulation results were compared with the test. The relationship between the structural acceleration, the displacement response, and the height was analyzed. The distribution of the principle tensile stresses and the equivalent plastic strain was compared with the cracks in the structure. The calculated results of the acceleration and displacement amplification coefficient versus the height agreed with the test results. The dynamic amplification coefficient at the floors depended on the earthquake intensity, load direction, and seismic wave formation. For the cracks of masonry that had a certain influence on the structure dynamic response, the result values determined with the Finite Element Method differed a little from the test results. The research conclusions can provide references for the Xuanzang Pagoda to defend against seismic disasters.

KEYWORDS:

• Ancient masonry pagoda
• dynamic response
• failure mechanism
• nuemrical simulation
• shaking table test

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the help extended by the staff at the Structural Engineering Laboratory at the Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology in conducting the experiments. We are grateful to the unknown reviewers for their comments. The financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC Grant No.51778527) and the Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province of China (Program Grant No. 2018JM5111). We also thank LetPub (www.letpub.com) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No.51778527].