Shaking table test on a model of Xi'an Xiaoyan pagoda

A shaking table test was conducted on a 1/8 scaled model of Xi'an Xiaoyan Pagoda. The material used in the model is the old brick and mortar of sticky rice juice. The damage, acceleration response, displacement response and the distribution of shear force in the structural model under the excitation of multiple encounters and rare earthquakes were analyzed. The dynamic characteristics were identified through analyzing the frequency response function at each measurement point under a white noise excitation. The experimental results show that the whiplash effect of the model is obvious, the damage is mainly concentrated on the top, and the failure mode is consistent with the actual seismic damage characteristics of similar structures. The model reacts differently under different seismic waves. With the increase of seismic excitation amplitude, the natural frequency drops down by 27.4%, and the first order damping ratio is increase 2.55 times compared to that without the experience of earthquakes. The displacement angle of the top storey reaches 1/116, while the structure has already entered into the state of serious damage under the action of an earthquake with 8 degrees of seismic fortification intensity. Protective measures should be taken for similar ancient towers in district of 8 degrees and above 8. © 2020, Editorial Office of Journal of Vibration and Shock. All right reserved.