Effects of Inclination on the Seismic Performance of Chinese Historical Masonry Tower Identified through Shaking Table Tests

The effects of inclination on the seismic performance of historical masonry towers were qualitatively studied in this paper. For this purpose, a shaking table test was conducted with a 1/8 scaled masonry tower model and the inclination was simulated artificially by introducing a rigid body rotation at bottom. The dynamic characteristics, crack patterns, and seismic responses of the scaled masonry tower model were analyzed. To further evaluate the effects of inclination, the seismic responses of the model were then compared to those of the original tower model (without inclination). The results revealed that the resonant frequency of the inclined tower model was 41% lower and the equivalent damping ratio was 38% higher than those of the original model. Additionally, the acceleration responses increased by 48% in the longitudinal direction and by 32% in the transversal direction; the displacement responses increased by 20% in the longitudinal direction and by 38% in the transversal direction. The test results reveal that the effects of inclination on the seismic performance of masonry towers cannot be ignored.