• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.457-472
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• 2014

The paper presents the field investigations and seismic analyses of a historical masonry brick minaret damaged during October 23 (Erciş) and November 9 (Edremit), 2011 Van earthquakes in Turkey. Ulu Mosque Minaret located on Tebriz Kap1 Street in the city centre of Van, Turkey is selected for investigation. Two earthquakes hit the minaret within seventeen days, causing progressive damage. It was seen from the field investigations that the minaret was heavily damaged. To validate the field investigations, three dimensional finite element model of the minaret is constituted by ANSYS software using relievo drawings. Finite element model of the minaret is analyzed under the Van earthquake records to determine the seismic behavior. The displacements, maximum and minimum principal stresses and strains are obtained from the analyses and compared with field observations.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 1998.04a
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• pp.52-57
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• 1998

Becaruse of the continual occurrence of minor and moderate earthquake in Korean peninsula, it is generally considered that Korean is nor located in safe region against probable earthquake and more, even though being recognized as a safe contry in earthquake. It is in particular noted that nowadays there has been much concern about undesirable disaster due to unexpected earthquake since the disaster of 1995 Kobe earthquake. Thus, the objective of this research is to develop appropriate design spectrum which could be practicably used in seismic design of important structures taking into consideration of local physical characteristics. Particularly, we have to keep in mind the lessons from 1985 Mexico earthquake which had disregarded deep research on local ground conditions, being a possible magnification phenomena of ground motions in weak soil layer. Various spectra has been described based on the analysis of historical earthquakes, and appropriate design spectrum has been proposed herein.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.639-658
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• 2017

Very limited studies have been accomplished concerning the historical structures around Harran area. Collected mortar samples from the historic structures in the area were tested to explore their mechanical, chemical and mineralogical properties. Mortar samples from three different points of each historical structure were taken and specified in accordance with the related standards taking into consideration their mechanical, chemical and mineralogical properties. By means of SEM-EDX the presence of organic fibres and calcite, quartz, plagioclase and muscovite minerals has been examined. Additionally, by means of XRF analysis, oxide ($SiO_2$, $Al_2O_3$, and $Fe_2O_3$) percentages of mortar ingredients have been specified, also. According to the test results obtained, it was confirmed that the mortars had densities ranging between $1.51-2.10g/cm^3$, porosity values ranging between 8.89-35.38% and compressive strengths ranging between 5.02-5.90 MPa. Specimen HU, which has the highest durability and lowest water absorption and porosity, was the mortar taken from the most intact building in the mosque complex. This result is most likely due to the very little fine aggregate content of HU. In contrast, HUC mortars with a small amount of fine particles and brick contents yielded slightly lower compressive strengths. The interesting point of this study is the mineralogical analysis results and especially the presence of ettringite in these historic mortars linked to the use of pozzolanic materials. Survival of these historic structures in Harran Area through centuries of use and, also, having been subjected to many earthquakes can probably be explained by these properties of the mortars.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.4
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• pp.317-332
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• 2023

Understanding and analysing the behaviour and response of historical structures in the face of climate changes and environmental conditions is of utmost significance for their preservation. There are several structural hazards associated with climate and hydrology changes in the region, including the settlement of piers, the rotation of piers, and temperature changes. The present study investigates the experimental and numerical structural behaviour of skewed and non-skewed Persian brick masonry barrel vaults under various conditions. The external loading conditions included pier rotation in five modes, settlement, and temperature variations in four states. Initially, the experiments extracted the mechanical properties of the scaled materials. Then, three semi-circular brick barrel vaults were tested with gravitational loads. The outcomes were used to develop and validate the finite element model. Following the development of the finite element model, numerical and parametric studies were conducted on the effect of the aforementioned structural hazards on the response of brick masonry barrel vaults with various Persian geometries (semi-circular, drop pointed, and four-centred), angles of skew (0, 15, 30, and 45 degrees), and dimensional ratios. According to the findings, the fragility of masonry materials makes historical structures susceptible to failure under different loading. A brick barrel vault fails in the presence of minor rotation and settlement of the piers. The four-centred geometric shape has the lowest performance among the seven Persian geometries; therefore, its health monitoring and retrofitting should be prioritised. In Isfahan, Iran, temperature variations, particularly during the warm seasons, cause critical conditions in such structures.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2024

This study aims to evaluate the repair status of stone structures, which are landscape heritage, focusing on cultural heritage repair norms. The study reviewed 296 repair reports published by the Cultural Heritage Administration and selected 8 cases of stone structure repairs. The repair status of these stone structures was evaluated based on three value attributes in the repair norms applied to cultural heritage both domestically and internationally: form and design, materials and quality, and tradition and technology. The results are as follows. First, in terms of form and design, changes were mainly focused on the foundation and backfill stones, which are non-visible structures, rather than the visible face stones. Second, in terms of materials and quality, there were numerous cases of inadequate verification and historical investigation. Despite significant differences in the strength and color of stones depending on their origin, which greatly impact the value attributes of the stone structures, the process of verifying the origin of replacement materials was omitted. Third, crucial elements such as tools, instruments, and techniques, which are vital for maintaining the value attributes of tradition and technology, were not recorded. Adherence to cultural heritage repair norms in the repair of stone structures was low. To enhance the repair quality of stone heritage, it is essential to strengthen compliance standards for maintaining the value attributes of non-visible structures, improve the historical investigation and verification of material origins, and establish detailed recording methods for the repair techniques and procedures used.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.83-94
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• 2016

Purpose: A city is regarded as an organic living thing that generates, changes, and fades away in relationship with many components of city. Therefore, a city has its own identity based on its historical trace. Among these elements composing a city, it is a square that makes a city more active and dynamic. Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy has played its role as significant core in the city and has distinctive function from other squares in urban ecological environments. In this study, the distinguishing function and role of Piazza Navona will be defined. Another purpose of study is to figure out what factors of Piazza Navona attracts a lot of diverse people and activities. Method: First, general understanding of function, type, and history of piazza; Second, the historical background of Piazza Navona; Third, site analysis related to surrounding environments; Fourth, architectural characteristic of Piazza Navona in terms of plan and elevation; Fifth, comparing with other representative squares in Rome such as Piazza San Pietro, Piazza del Popolo, and Piazza del Campidoglio in aspects of urban function. Result: Piazza Navona provides both citizen and visitors with an inviting place to embrace all kinds of activities including assembly, annual festival, and daily events. Its functions in the urban environments also involve a tourist attractor as landmark, place for social and cultural interaction, market, and place for meeting and leisure. It is attributed to following factors; historical background as the city center since the first century AD; its location in the center of Rome; enough size and flexibility to accommodate many people and various events; open space enclosed by surrounding buildings; historical baroque structures and sculptures of fountains; synergy effect with commercial and other tourist attractors around Piazza Navona; and comfortable accessibility.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.221-232
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• 2008

This paper represents the final results of a research program sponsored by the European Commission through project WIND-CHIME ($\underline{W}$ide Range Non-$\underline{IN}$trusive $\underline{D}$evices toward $\underline{C}$onservation of $\underline{HI}$storical Monuments in the $\underline{ME}$diterranean Area), in which the possibility of using advanced seismic protection technologies to preserve historical monuments in the Mediterranean area is investigated. In the current research, the dynamic characteristics of two outstanding Mamluk-Style minarets, which similar minarets were reported to experience extensive damage during Dahshur 1992 earthquake, are investigated. The first minaret is the Qusun minaret (1337 A.D, 736 Hijri Date (H.D)) located in El-Suyuti cemetery on the southern side of the Salah El-Din citadel. The minaret is currently separated from the surrounding building and is directly resting on the ground (no vaults underneath). The total height of the minaret is 40.28 meters with a base rectangular shaft of about 5.42 ${\times}$ 5.20 m. The second minaret is the southern minaret of Al-Sultaniya (1340 A.D, 739 H.D). It is located about 30.0 meters from Qusun minaret, and it is now standing alone but it seems that it used to be attached to a huge unidentified structure. The style of the minaret and its size attribute it to the first half of the fourteenth century. The minaret total height is 36.69 meters and has a 4.48 ${\times}$ 4.48 m rectangular base. Field investigations were conducted to obtain: (a) geometrical description of the minarets, (b) material properties of the minarets' stones, and (c) soil conditions at the minarets' location. Ambient vibration tests were performed to determine the modal parameters of the minarets such as natural frequencies and mode shapes. A $1/16^{th}$ scale model of Qusun minaret was constructed at Cairo University Concrete Research Laboratory and tested under free vibration with and without SMA wire dampers. The contribution of SMA wire dampers to the structural damping coefficient was evaluated under different vertical loads and vibration amplitudes. Experimental results were used along with the field investigation data to develop a realistic 3-D finite element model that can be used for seismic risk evaluation of the minarets. Examining the updated finite element models under different seismic excitations indicated the vulnerability of such structures to earthquakes with medium to high a/v ratio. The use of SMA wire dampers was found feasible for reducing the seismic risk for this type of structures.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.1438-1441
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• 2008

Throughout the history, the people of Iran have battled the dryness by innovations to preserve every drop of water that lands from the rare clouds, or from a stream flowing out of distant springs. Water is precious and held with highest respect, whether stored for drinking at an Ab-Anbar, or for washing and farming at the Houz in the middle of their oasis homes and orchards, or sourced at a Qanat spring or Jooy under ground. How it is that drinking water as cold as a mountain fall is found in desert of Iran? Ab-Anbar is an ancient means of water preservation and cooling through anunderground building structure. These underground structures have been present in Khorasan and other desert provinces of Iran as public or private water storage facilities, widely used before the installation of public plumbing systems in the late 1950s. Although many of these structures are still functional, most have been protected by government for restoration or viewing by the public as historical heritage. Khorasan natural dry climate and the massive surrounding deserts have been a breeding ground for many designs of Ab-Anbars. Today the existing number of such facilities stands in the province of Khorasan. Usually these structures were built in populated areas, also there are some forms of such structures on old trade routes and roadways leading to and from populated towns. This paper considers the history of Ab-Anbars in Khorasan as well as other relevant aspects such as types, components, construction methods and materials, filling and withdrawal systems.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.471-484
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• 2020

Previous earthquakes show that, structural safety evaluations should include the evaluation of nonstructural components. Failure of nonstructural components can affect the operational capacity of critical facilities, such as hospitals and fire stations, which can cause an increase in number of deaths. Additionally, failure of nonstructural components may result in economic, architectural, and historical losses of community. Accelerations and random vibrations must be under the predefined limitations in structures with high technological equipment, data centers in this case. Failure of server equipment and anchored server racks are investigated in this study. A probabilistic study is completed for a low-rise rigid sample structure. The structure is investigated in two versions, (i) conventional fixed-based structure and (ii) with a base isolation system. Seismic hazard assessment is completed for the selected site. Monte Carlo simulations are generated with selected parameters. Uncertainties in both structural parameters and mechanical properties of isolation system are included in simulations. Anchorage failure and vibration failures are investigated. Different methods to generate fragility curves are used. The site-specific annual hazard curve is used to generate risk curves for two different structures. A risk matrix is proposed for the design of data centers. Results show that base isolation systems reduce the failure probability significantly in higher floors. It was also understood that, base isolation systems are highly sensitive to earthquake characteristics rather than variability in structural and mechanical properties, in terms of accelerations. Another outcome is that code-provided anchorage failure limitations are more vulnerable than the random vibration failure limitations of server equipment.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.87-100
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• 2024

Traffic-induced vibrations (TIVs) possess the potential to induce structural damage in both historical and critical edifices. Recent investigations have underscored the adverse impact of TIVs within buildings, manifesting as a deleterious influence on the quality of life and operational efficiency of occupants. Consequently, these studies have dichotomized TIVs into two primary limit categories: the threshold for vibrations capable of causing structural damage and the limit values associated with human comfort. In this current research endeavor, an exhaustive analysis of peak ground acceleration (PGA), peak ground velocity (PGV), peak ground displacement (PGD), and the frequency spectrum of ground motions originating from diverse traffic sources has been conducted. Furthermore, the detrimental repercussions of these vibrations on structures, gauged through the assessment of the peak particle velocity (PPV) parameter, have been systematically evaluated. The findings of this study elucidate that TIVs within the examined structures do not attain magnitudes conducive to structural compromise; however, the levels surpassing human comfort limits are evident, attributable to specific sources and distances. Moreover, this investigation sheds light on the absence of comprehensive criteria and guidelines pertaining to the assessment of TIVs in structures within the Turkish Building Seismic Design Code 2018. It seeks to raise awareness among building constructors about the critical importance of addressing this issue, emphasizing the imperative for guidelines in mitigating the impact of TIVs on both structural integrity and human well-being.