The use of georadar to assess damage to a masonry Bell Tower in Cremona, Italy

Abstract Frequently, the application of NDT (non-destructive testing) to historic buildings is needed in order to search for hidden parts of the structure or for structural faults. The designer who requires the investigation is always facing the difficult situation of accepting the interpretation of the results given by the NDT experts, who in turn are usually only exceptionally expert in material and structures. Only a strict collaboration between the designer and the experts and the use of different investigation techniques, from the simplest to the more sophisticated can help in the interpretation of the results. The application of georadar to the detection of three main structural problems for the Bell Tower (Torrazzo) of Cremona is presented, together with the description of the difficulties in acquisition and data elaboration and the description of auxiliary investigations used to validate interpretation of the results.