Laser Scanning and Ambient Vibration Study of Juma Mosque in Khiva (Uzbekistan) with Subsequent Finite Element Modeling of Its Minaret

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a multiyear program conducted in Khiva, by a research team from the University of California, Berkeley (USA) and Urgench State University, Urgench (Uzbekistan). It was focused on the Juma (Djuma) Mosque in Itchan Kala (Khiva, Uzbekistan). The main objective was to generate a digital twin of the mosque, with an accuracy of a few millimeters, by utilizing a laser scanner. The idea of a digital twin was expanded further, to ensure that the physical properties and structural response of the digital twin were closely correlated to that of the actual object. To achieve this objective, the following was conducted. First, a laser scanning of the historic monument was conducted. The laser scans were collected by a terrestrial laser scanner. Subsequently, a study of the monument’s structural response was conducted in ambient vibration tests that focused on measuring the resonant frequencies of the mosque’s minaret. Based on all of the information collected during both field studies, a sophisticated finite element model of the minaret was developed. The calibration of the model was based on the results of the ambient vibration study. The performance of the model was shown to be close to that of the actual monument. The digital twin and associated numerical model will be used in structural health monitoring, numerical predictions of the structural performance, and in the development of restoration strategies.