Using seismic hazard assessment to study dynamic behavior of Gonbad-e Kāvus tower (the tallest brick tower in the world)

Abstract

Gonbad-e Kāvus Brick tower, which was completed in the tenth century, is the remnant of an ancient glorious building that is located in downtown of Gonbad-e Kāvus, Golestan, Iran. It is of note that, this massive brick structure is known as the tallest brick tower in the world. Unfortunately, the tower is located on a very active seismic region, hence there is an urgent need for a careful study of seismic behavior of the tower due to its historical importance. Hence, probabilistic seismic hazard assessment has been performed for Gonbad region to prepare the acceleration spectrum charts. Three-dimensional finite element models of the tower are used in the nonlinear finite element program ANSYS. Dynamic modal and dynamic analyses by means of two spectral accelerations were conducted to study the dynamic response. In conclusion, earthquake with 2,475 years period duration can cause damage to the overall the tower.