Dynamic analysis of a historical monument: retrofit using shape memory alloy wires

The effectiveness of using the advanced seismic protection technology based on shape memory alloy (SMA) dampers to preserve a historical minaret is investigated. The proposed studied case, the minaret of Mansourah, is a seven century old minaret located in Tlemcen, Algeria. Its original height was of 47m, while nowadays, the monument is half destructed and its current height reaches the 40m. The proposed seismic retrofit is based on the technique that utilizes SMA wires as dampers for the upper flexible part of the minaret. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is numerically evaluated via non-linear finite element analysis using the structural software ANSYS. The effectiveness of the proposed device in mitigating the seismic hazard is demonstrated by the effective reduction in its dynamic response.