Non-destructive tests and numerical modeling of an industrial masonry chimney

Industrial masonry chimneys are very common in many countries as a consequence of the industrial revolution that took place in the XIX century. In many cases, these elements are protected by laws as a historical heritage since are very representative of a particular period. These chimneys are usually long and thin elements with high vulnerability to horizontal loads as strong winds or earthquakes, so an experimental program has been developed to know mechanic parameters obtained through non-destructive techniques to characterize these structural elements and predict their response when subjected to non usual forces. Accelerometers were placed in a masonry chimney at different heights to record the response of the structure when ambient forces as wind or traffic were acting. This response was analyzed looking for the fundamental frequencies of the chimney and a numerical model developed adjusting the main mechanical parameters to reproduce the frequencies of the structure. With the adjusted numerical model seismic analysis can be reproduced to study the response of the structure to this type of action.