Seismic safety assessments of historical timber buildings using updated finite element models: Case study of Yingxian wooden pagoda, China

Historical timber buildings are important for the global architectural heritage. However, establishing accurate models for seismic performance evaluations to assess the safety of historical buildings remains challenging. Therefore, simplified simulation methods—the dougong (DG) and mortise-tenon joints (MTJs) based on shear and bending plastic hinges—were developed. Moreover, a model updating method based on multiple degrees of freedom considering the initial inclination was improved to obtain accurate finite element (FE) models. Using the FE model of the Yingxian wooden pagoda in China as an example, the proposed methods were validated against field monitoring measurements. A time history seismic analysis was also conducted on the updated pagoda FE model. The results revealed that the simplified simulation method could accurately and efficiently simulate the plastic behaviors of the DG and MTJs. Furthermore, the model updating procedure reduced the maximum period difference from 9.77% to 2.98%. The maximum story drift ratio reached 1.590% under an earthquake, with a peak ground acceleration of 310 gal; this indicated that the pagoda model described moderate damage; certain components were in a plastic state with a maximum rotation of 0.0427. Notably, this study provides a useful method and a basis for establishing and evaluating models and assessing the seismic safety of historical timber buildings.