Vibration Testing and System Identification of a Monumental Building in Sabbioneta, Italy

The assessment of Cultural Heritage buildings is a challenging multi-disciplinary activity, involving different tasks. The paper exemplifies the application of the methodology involving historic and architectural research complemented by a dynamic survey in the structural modelling of the Galleria degli Antichi, a monumental building built in the 16th century in the historic town of Sabbioneta (Italy), which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2008. After a concise historic background on the investigated building, the paper focuses on the results obtained from operational modal testing and the subsequent finite element (FE) model correlation analysis. The good knowledge of the structural geometry and the large number of identified vibration modes, combined with a classic system identification technique, allowed to establish a linear elastic FE model, accurately fitting the modal parameters of the monument in its present condition.