Built between 1109 and 1119together with Asinelli Tower there Garisenda it is one of the symbols of Bologna, loved and admired so much that it is also mentioned inHell of Dante. Almost 50 meters high, due to its very pronounced inclination of around 4 degrees stability of the Tower is at risk of being compromisedto such an extent that the risk of collapse is real.
To test possible mitigation measures of risk e improvements in its securitythe University of Bologna, the largest Italian computing center CINECA and the US company Nvidia have joined forces to develop a 3D digital twin.
The creation of the digital twin
The three partners will collaborate to create one digital copy of the Garisenda. Nvidia will use the data collected from the sensors already installed on the Tower and from other sources and, exploiting the computing capacity of CINECA’s Leonardo supercomputer, will create the virtual copy of the Tower.
The digital twin will serve to analyze the dynamics and structural conditions to understand the current behavior of the structure. Thanks to this information, scientists will be able to develop predictive models and scenarios in which to test risk reduction measures and safety improvements.
“The digital model will allow us to evaluate the behavior of the tower in response to the different interventions that could be made. The platform will simulate what can happen around the Garisenda, and also in individual segments of the tower, based on factors such as temperatures, winds, earth vibrations and material composition. With the advantage of being able to analyze an infinite amount of data in real time”, explained the mayor of the city Matteo Lepore.
Probability of collapse “unacceptable”
The Municipality has been monitoring the structural behavior of the Torre degli Asinelli and the Garisenda since the 1970s. However, following an overall worsening, in 2018 a was established technical-scientific committee specific.
In 2020, in addition to having tightened high-strength steel belts at the base of the tower, the committee decided to apply sensors who monitor the status of the Tower every second.
Thanks to those sensors, it was discovered that the stability of the Garisenda is severely compromised and at high risk of collapse. “THE collapse probability values are unacceptably high, over 10,000 times higher than what is typically allowed by the regulations”, the committee wrote in its report a few months ago. Experts have even hypothesized that the Garisenda, after an initial phase of implosion, could collapse and tip over towards the church of San Bartolomeo.
The model of the University of Bologna, CINECA and Nvidia to develop the digital twin will use formats of open and interoperable files to allow maximum transparency and accessibility and it will be put available to the public.
