Seismic performance evaluation of the historical Yozgat Clock Tower

OpenAlex İngilizce

The seismic evaluation of historical masonry structures is very important for their preservation, particularly in seismic zones. An investigation of the dynamic performance and seismic sensitivity of the historical Yozgat Clock Tower in Turkey is presented in this paper. A three-dimensional finite element model of the historic tower is established in Abaqus, and the nonlinear performance of masonry is modeled utilizing the Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) material model. The performance assessment of the structure is performed through modal and nonlinear time-history analyses under appropriate ground-motion records. The fundamental natural frequency of the historic tower is found to be 5.64 Hz, which is in good agreement with those obtained from empirical expressions. It is found from nonlinear dynamic analyses that tensile, compressive, and plastic damage is mostly concentrated at the tower foundation level, while the above parts mostly behave like rigid bodies. This work emphasizes that the journal area is the critical area governing the seismic behavior of this tower and implies a future strategy for its restoration and strengthening.