PSI - Issue 79

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 79 (2026) 182–189

© 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of IGF28 - MedFract3 organizers Keywords: historic structures; masonry; lighthouses; wind and wave loading; structural response Abstract Historic masonry lighthouses are important navigational aids but also historical and cultural landmarks, that face increasing threats from environmental factors like severe weather and rising sea levels. Situated in the North Sea, the Bell Rock, the world's oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse has guided mariners for over 200 years whilst being exposed to the climatic elements. With support from its current managing authority in Scotland, the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), this research study aims at investigating the structural reliability of this 35m tapered cylindrical tower, which largely relies to its self-weight and dovetail joints to withstand the force of the North Sea. Structural analysis is undertaken by Finite Element Modelling with the software ABAQUS, where a variety of load scenarios have been considered. With the focus being on wind and wave loading, extensive research and analytical work provided realistic load cases and determined critical combinations. Assessment of results takes place in the form of stress and displacement criteria, as well as the failure mechanisms of overturning and sliding. Based on this numerical output and comparison with data from case studies and site observations, areas of further research are identified. 28th International Conference on Fracture and Structural Integrity - 3rd Mediterranean Conference on Fracture and Structural Integrity Structural assessment of historic masonry lighthouses under critical environmental actions: the case study of the Bell Rock Lighthouse. Aikaterini Marinelli a *, Cat Wright a a School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier University, EH10 5DT Edinburgh, Scotland

1. Introduction Technical challenges in cultural heritage conservation continue to stimulate interest from researchers and

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 131 455 2553. E-mail address: A.Marinelli@napier.ac.uk

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of IGF28 - MedFract3 organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2025.12.323