Experimental and analytical investigation of wind-induced response in a lighting tower

This paper presents the results of a long-term monitoring campaign on a 16.6 m steel lighting tower located at the Harbor of La Spezia, Italy. More than 5000 h of wind velocity, strain, and acceleration data were collected from which structural displacements were derived under varying wind conditions. The experimental evidence provides a robust benchmark for validating analytical gust-response models and for systematically addressing input uncertainties. The novelty of this research lies in: (i) the long-term full-scale monitoring data of a slender monopole under real environmental conditions; (ii) the combined use of strain- and acceleration-based techniques for displacement estimation; (iii) the quantification of parameter uncertainties by means of a three-level framework, ranging from code-based assumptions to site-specific measurements; and (iv) the explicit separation and quantification of model bias versus parameter bias in the dynamic response analytical estimation. Results highlight the sensitivity of the adopted analytical prediction to parameter accuracy and underscore the need for field data to support reliable assessment of wind-induced response of slender vertical structures.