Dynamic characteristics of the Amphitheatrum Flavium northern wall from traffic-induced vibrations

Abstract

The effects of the traffic-induced vibrations on the external northern wall of the Amphitheatrum Flavium are studied with the two objectives of analyzing the amplitudes of such vibrations and extracting the dynamic characteristics of the structure as part of preservation effort. The results obtained in two experimental campaigns, carried out in 1985 and 2014, respectively, are analyzed also as a starting point for future extensive experimental measurements. Data processing consisted in the time domain and frequency domain analyses, in which Fourier transform, power spectral density and cross spectral density were used to extract resonance frequencies, modal shapes and damping. The not always significant values of phase factors and coherence functions pointed out the presence of complex modes and of the nonlinear behavior, which in conjunction with the complex geometry of the structure and its size make the interpretation of the experimental data quite difficult.