The document describes a new tool being developed called MONSTER to monitor the structural health of ancient masonry structures. It involves a wireless sensor network using low-cost accelerometers and software called NOSA-ITACA to model structural behavior. The system was tested on the San Frediano bell tower in Lucca, Italy. Operational modal analysis of tower vibration data matched well with frequencies obtained from a finite element model of the tower, helping validate the tool. The goal is to better assess conservation needs and monitor behavior over time of important masonry cultural heritage structures.

1. The Fifteenth International Conference on Civil, Structural
and Environmental Engineering Computing

2. CC2015-24: Monitoring for Damage Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Forecast and Protection Of
Structures and Continua
1-4 September 2015 A new tool for monitoring and assessing the structural health of ancient masonry constructions 2
• Structural Health Monitoring refers to technologies used both to measure specific parameters
and physical quantities that provide information about a building’s structural behavior and to
aid in choosing appropriate interventions of consolidation and seismic retrofitting.
• MONSTER project was set up to develop an integrated set of technologies to perform more
sophisticated assessments of the conservation status of masonry constructions and to monitor
their behavior over time.
low-cost
flexible
platform
(ASIMOV)
• Ability to gather data
through different types
of sensors installed on
buildings
specific
software
(NOSA-
ITACA) [1]
• Ability to monitor and
model the mechanical
behavior of the
structure under study
NEW
SYSTEM
TOOL
[1] www.nosaitaca.it

3. CC2015-24: Monitoring for Damage Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Forecast and Protection Of
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1-4 September 2015 A new tool for monitoring and assessing the structural health of ancient masonry constructions 3
• ASIMOV (Acquisition System for low-Intensity MOnument Vibration) has been designed
and built at ISTI-CNR . It is based on a 3-axis accelerometer, whose native resolution settings
have been adapted to suit the specific needs of structural monitoring. The system has been
designed so that it can automatically adapt to variations in acceleration within the range of
10-3 m/sec2 to 20 m/sec2.
The acquisition system (length in cm)
Instrumental
Amplifier
-
+
AGC
ADC
X
Y
Z
Communication
Interface
Accelerometer
Zero-g Level
Generator
P
Block diagram of the system
• The system has a sampling frequency of 100 Hz. It is equipped with a 16 bit analogue-to-
digital converter (ADC) and a serial interface to communicate with external devices. The
system can communicate via most commercial data transmission interfaces.

4. CC2015-24: Monitoring for Damage Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Forecast and Protection Of
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1-4 September 2015 A new tool for monitoring and assessing the structural health of ancient masonry constructions 4
• Calibration of the system plays a crucial role in developing an effective and reliable WSN
accelerometer. In order to calibrate the accelerometer, comparisons have been carried out
between ASIMOV and TITAN, a 3-axis accelerometer made available by the Italian Institute
of Geophysics and Vulcanology (the INGV-Istituto Italiano di Geofisica e Vulcanologia).
The acquisition system (length in cm) TITAN

5. CC2015-24: Monitoring for Damage Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Forecast and Protection Of
Structures and Continua
1-4 September 2015 A new tool for monitoring and assessing the structural health of ancient masonry constructions 5
• Calibration: comparisons in terms of time-history and PSD (Power Spectral Density)
between ASIMOV and TITAN:
Power Spectral Density Acceleration versus time

6. CC2015-24: Monitoring for Damage Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Forecast and Protection Of
Structures and Continua
1-4 September 2015 A new tool for monitoring and assessing the structural health of ancient masonry constructions 6
• Calibration via ambient vibration tests using the wooden frame structure shown in the figure.
The calibration device
Initial displacements u0 were assigned to the top of the frame for different values of the mass m applied to the
structure, and the acceleration of the freely vibrating system measured; each experiment was repeated four
times. The collected data were then compared with the results of the numerical simulations conducted via the
NOSA-ITACA code.
Acceleration versus time
Discrete Fourier Transform

7. CC2015-24: Monitoring for Damage Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Forecast and Protection Of
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1-4 September 2015 A new tool for monitoring and assessing the structural health of ancient masonry constructions 7
• Wireless sensor network (under development).
Two basic requirements must be fulfilled: reliability and scalability of the data transmission.
Reliability means reducing any potential data loss to a minimum, while scalability involves the
ability to install a large number of sensors within the network without compromising data
transmission performance. The network is made up of various “rings”, each of which includes a
commander node, called the “sink” (the core of the ring), and a sufficient number of sensor nodes
(e.g., accelerometers) to ensure the necessary amount of transmitted data. Each sink receives the
sampled data from the sensor nodes either continuously, or following a prescheduled sampling
sequence, depending on how it is programmed.
The WSN topology
Sensor
Node
Sink
Sensor
Node
Sink
The firmware of the node enables point-to-multipoint
communication between the sink and its subset of
nodes, as well as point-to-point communication
between any node and the sink. Through the point-
to-multipoint communication, a sink can start
acquisition on the sensor nodes simultaneously, as
well as perform synchronization of the
acquisitions. When the acquisition window has
ended, all sensor nodes can send their data to the sink
through the point-to-point communication link.
The sink can perform proper synchronization of
its subset of nodes through a Real-Time Clock
system.

8. CC2015-24: Monitoring for Damage Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Forecast and Protection Of
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1-4 September 2015 A new tool for monitoring and assessing the structural health of ancient masonry constructions 8
• NOSA-ITACA code (http://www.nosaitaca.it/en/download). Freeware/open-source software
for computational mechanics distributed with the aim of disseminating the use of
mathematical models and numerical tools in the field of Cultural Heritage (constitutive
equation of masonry-like materials).

9. CC2015-24: Monitoring for Damage Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Forecast and Protection Of
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1-4 September 2015 A new tool for monitoring and assessing the structural health of ancient masonry constructions 9
• Case study: the San Frediano bell tower in Lucca (dating back to the 11th century).
The bell tower of San Frediano Survey of the bell tower
Characteristics of the tower:
• Height 52 m;
• Walls thickness varies from ~ 2.1 m at the base, to 1.6 m at the top;
• Two masonry vaults (at about 9 m and 38 m);
• Hip roof with wooden trusses and rafters;
• Different types of masonry as indicated in the scheme.
Stone
masonry
Brick and
mortar
masonry
Stone
masonry
Stone
masonry
Scheme of the tower materials composition

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A sensor network will be installed on the interior surface of the
tower's walls. The positions of the accelerometers to be placed
on 5 levels inside the tower are illustrated in the figure. When
installed and tested, the network will enable comparisons of the
frequencies and modal shapes calculated via the NOSA-ITACA
code and the same quantities calculated via suitable dynamic
identification techniques on the accelerations recorded.
PiazzaRe
Via San Frediano
SECTION 1
Basilicaof
SanFrediano
+1.64
SECTION 1
0.00
+40.88
+37.53
+29.60
+20.25
+16.65
+8.57
+6.68
6.6329.03
52.25
SECTION 2
SECTION 3
SECTION 4
SECTION 5
+1.64
+20.25
+16.65
+8.57
+29.60
+37.96
+40.88
+43.88
7.98
PiazzaRe
Via San Frediano
PiazzaRe
Via San Frediano
8.40
8.55
SECTION A-A SECTION B-B
A
SECTION 2 SECTION 5
A A
PiazzaRealCollegio
Via San Frediano
SECTION 1
Basilicaof
SanFrediano
+1.64
SECTION 1
0.00
+29.60
+20.25
+16.65
+8.57
+6.68
6.6329.03
52.25
SECTION 2
SECTION 3
+1.64
+20.25
+16.65
+8.57
+29.60
+8.57
7.98
PiazzaRealCollegio
Via San Frediano
PiazzaRealCollegio
PiazzaRealCollegio
PiazzaRealCollegio
Via San Frediano
Interior of Basilica of
San Frediano
+20.25
5.48
8.40
+29.60
5.48
8.40
+37.96
8.55
+40.88
5.54
8.55
5.54
Sensor node
Sink
SECTION A-A SECTION B-B
B
A
SECTION 2
Via San Frediano
SECTION 3
Via San Frediano
SECTION 4
SECTION 5
B B B B B
B B B B
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
• The sensor network on the case study

11. CC2015-24: Monitoring for Damage Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Forecast and Protection Of
Structures and Continua
1-4 September 2015 A new tool for monitoring and assessing the structural health of ancient masonry constructions 11
• Preliminary monitoring: data acquisition from 1 pm May 29th , until 8 am June 3rd of this year
(ambient vibration).
Piazza Real Collegio
ViaSanFrediano
SECTION 1
Basilicaof
SanFrediano
+1.64
SECTION 1
0.00
+40.88
+37.53
+29.60
+20.25
+16.65
+8.57
+6.68
6.6329.03
52.25
SECTION 2
SECTION 3
SECTION 4
+1.64
+20.25
+16.65
+8.57
+29.60
+37.96
+40.88
+43.88
+8.57
7.98
InteriorofBasilicaof
SanFrediano
Sensor node
and digital acquisition
system
SECTION A-A SECTION B-B
B
B
A A
x
y
Sensor n°942
DAQ n°946
Sensor n°942
DAQ n°946
Sensor n°943
DAQ n°947
Sensor n°944
DAQ n°948
Sensor n°945
DAQ n°949
Four Seismic stations (SARA) placed along a vertical line:
- Digital acquisition system SL06;
- Seismometer SS20;
- Sampling frequency 100Hz.
Seismic station

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In order to perform a preliminary modal
analysis, the tower’s structure has been
discretized into 45641 brick elements
(element n°. 8 of the NOSA-ITACA code
element library) with 136923 degrees of
freedom. The steel tie rods and wooden
elements of the roof have been discretized
using beam elements (n°. 9 of the NOSA-
ITACA code element library). As a first
attempt the masonry has been modeled as a
homogeneous material with Young’s modulus
E = 4000 MPa, Poisson’s ratio  = 0.2 and
mass density = 1800 kg/m3.
The structure is assumed to be clamped at the base, and additional boundary conditions have been imposed
12.50m above the base to account for the church’s walls.
• FEM analysis
FEM model: a) overview; b) west side; c) south side; d) cross-section and
magnification of the model

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• Operational Modal Analyses Techniques
OMA
Operational Modal
Analyses
Non-Parametric
model
……
Stochastic Subspace
Identification (SSI)
……
Parametric model
……
Enhanced
Frequency Domain
Decomposition
(EFDD)
……

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OMA technique used: Enhanced Frequency Domain Decomposition via the TruDI software
(sTructural Dynamic Identification) developed within the project.
Mode 1 (along X):
fFEM = 1.177 Hz
fEFDD = 1.116 Hz
xEFDD = 0.81 %
Mode 2 (along Y):
fFEM = 1.367 Hz
fEFDD = 1.385 Hz
xEFDD = 0.85%
• Data processing results versus FEM analysis results
Mode3 (torsional mode):
fFEM = 3.341 Hz
fEFDD = 3.485 Hz
xEFDD = 0.29 %
Mode 4 (along X):
fFEM = 5.053 Hz
fEFDD = 4.606 Hz
xEFDD = 0.22%

15. CC2015-24: Monitoring for Damage Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Forecast and Protection Of
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1-4 September 2015 A new tool for monitoring and assessing the structural health of ancient masonry constructions 15
• Updating the FEM model by varying the physical and mechanical characteristics of the
materials
Mode 1 Mode 2 Mode 3 Mode 4
Experimental
Frequency
1.116 Hz 1.385 Hz 3.485 Hz 4.606 Hz
Finite Element
Model
Freq.
[Hz]
MAC
Freq.
[Hz]
MAC
Freq.
[Hz]
MAC
Freq.
[Hz]
MAC
Model 1 1.117 0.921 1.367 0.952 3.341 0.315 5.053 0.703
Model 2 1.152 0.918 1.349 0.955 3.204 0.312 4.833 0.704
• Model 1: frequencies yielded by FEM modal analysis considering
homogeneous elastic material with Young’s modulus E = 4000
MPa and mass density = 1800 kg/m3;
• Model 2: frequencies yielded by FEM modal analysis considering
3 different materials (see figure).
•
fEXP, experimental modal vector; yFEM, numerical modal vector
H, complex conjugate transpose (Hermitian)
Brick and mortar
masonry
E=3500 MPa
=1800 kg/m3
Stone
masonry
E=5500 MPa
=2000 kg/m3
Stone
masonry
E=5500 MPa
=2000 kg/m3
Stone
masonry
E=5500 MPa
=2000 kg/m3
EXP
H
EXPEXP
H
EXP
2
FEM
H
EXP
FEMEXP ),(MAC
yyff
yf
yf 

16. CC2015-24: Monitoring for Damage Detection, Vulnerability Assessment, Forecast and Protection Of
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1-4 September 2015 A new tool for monitoring and assessing the structural health of ancient masonry constructions 16
Conclusion
• The presentation has illustrated the progress and some preliminary results of the MONSTER
project, whose aim is to develop an integrated monitoring and simulation system for age-old
masonry constructions based on wireless sensor networks and the NOSA-ITACA code
(http://www.nosaitaca.it/en/download).
• A small, inexpensive wireless sensor has been developed based on a 3-axis MEMS
accelerometer whose native resolution settings have been adapted to enable structural
monitoring of historical buildings.
• Preliminary laboratory results show the reliability of the proposed systems in terms of both
measured accelerations and sample frequencies.
• Some prototypes are in the process of being produced and will be installed on the San Frediano
bell tower in Lucca in order to estimate the acceleration levels.
• A finite element model of the tower has been built via the NOSA-ITACA code, and a
preliminary modal analysis of the tower performed shows good agreement between the
experimental and numerical results.

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Thank you for your
kind attention
P. Barsocchi1, P. Cassarà1, E. Ferro1, M. Girardi2,
F. Mavilia1, C. Padovani2 and D. Pellegrini2
1 WN-Lab, Institute of Information Science and Technologies, Italian National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
2 MMS-Lab, Institute of Information Science and Technologies, Italian National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
daniele.pellegrini@isti.cnr.it