Structural Analysis of La Giralda's 16th-Century Sculpture/Weather Vane

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the mechanical behavior of a historical sculpture known as El Giraldillo, which, in addition to its ornamental qualities, also functions as a weather vane. The 4-meter-high bronze sculpture has crowned La Giralda, the bell tower of the cathedral of Seville, since 1568. The mechanical behavior of the sculpture/structure must clearly be analyzed before undertaking its restoration to guarantee that it is capable of withstanding the mechanical actions to which it will be subjected, including self-weight, wind action, thermal effects, and seismic agitation. The analysis was conducted by studying the object's current state of preservation with the aid of a finite element numerical model. The most significant results of this analysis are presented in this article.