Ambient Vibration Study of Ancient Chadra Hauly in Uzbekistan Supplemented by Material Testing and Laser Scanning

Ancient Chadra Hauly is located in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan, near the ancient city of Khiva. The building is made of adobe, an earthen material, and this type of construction is widespread in Central Asia. Although most of this type of construction is limited to single-story buildings, this unique monument is a four-story structure. Its geometry was captured by a terrestrial laser scanner, which enabled the creation of an accurate 3D digital twin of this heritage building. The laser scanning projects were conducted twice, before and after the recent reconstruction. The monument's geometric details were captured, including anomalies related to its ageing. This paper focuses on the next step in the structural health monitoring of this heritage building: an ambient vibration study to measure resonant frequencies of this ancient and unique structure. The study used high-sensitivity accelerometers in combination with a data acquisition system. The ambient vibration study was conducted after reconstruction. Results of mechanical testing of adobe material similar to that used in the construction of this building were used to validate the obtained results. Since the monument’s walls have a tapered shape, the wall thickness variation from the laser scans was used in the validation process.