Structural Assessment of the Historical Yozgat Clock Tower

Abstract

Many methods and tools have been used to measure time throughout history. People started using mechanical watches instead of sundials and hourglasses because of technological advances. After that, they built clock towers, which have become a symbol of cities. Although clock towers were first constructed in Europe, they soon spread to the Ottoman Empire. Now these structures are considered an important component of a country’s cultural heritage, and therefore must be preserved for future generations. The clock tower in Yozgat, Turkey is one such structure. For this study, a three-dimensional model of the Yozgat clock tower was constructed in a digital environment and subjected to static and dynamic analyses. The static analyses demonstrated that the structure is safe in terms of stress and displacement. However, the dynamic analyses demonstrated that damage would be formed in the lower regions of the tower base and extend all the way to the balcony in the event of an earthquake. Both the linear and nonlinear analyses yielded similar results in terms of where the damage would occur. This study could be used as a guide for future restoration studies or endeavors.