At the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth
century there was a considerable development in Portugal, characterized by the
fl ourishing of many industrial plants. Brick masonry chimneys represent some
of the most interesting elements of the industrial architectural heritage of that
time. This article shows the study and analysis of a chimney from a former ceramic
factory that is now part of a cultural and leisure Public Park located near Porto,
Portugal. The focus in this work is given on the detailed in situ survey of the
chimney involving geometrical characterization, visual inspection, with damage
registration, and structural and material assessment based on in situ dynamic tests.
This survey allowed assessing the in situ mechanical characteristics of the chimney
and to construct a realistic numerical model to evaluate the seismic vulnerability
of the chimney. Two different approaches regarding the chimney damage state
were followed for the calibration of the numerical model. The models from both
approaches were afterwards subjected to accelerograms matching the chimney
site conditions and the responses were analysed and compared. The importance
of a good mechanical characterization of the materials involved is underlined in
this analysis.