• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.501-512
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• 2019

In this study, seismic vulnerability assessment and seismic isolation retrofit of Bayburt Yakutiye Mosque is investigated. Bayburt Yakutiye Mosque was built in the early 19th century at about 30-meter distance to Coruh river in the center of Bayburt in Turkey. The walls of historical masonry structure were built with regional white and yellow stones and the domes of the mosque was built with masonry bricks. This study is completed in four basic phases. In first phase, experimental determination of the regional white stone used in the historical structure are investigated to determine mechanical properties as modulus of elasticity, poison ratio and compression strengths etc. The required information of the other materials such as masonry brick and the regional yellow stone are obtained from literature studies. In the second phase, three dimensional finite element model (FEM) of the historical masonry structure is prepared with 4738 shell elements and 24789 solid elements in SAP2000 software. In third phase, the vulnerability assessment of the historical mosque is researched under seismic loading such as Erzincan (13 March 1992), Kocaeli (17 August 1999) and Van (23 November 2011) earthquakes. In this phase, the locations where damage can occur are determined. In the final phase, rubber base isolators for seismic isolation retrofit is used in the macro model of historical masonry mosque to prevent the damage risk. The results of all analyses are comparatively evaluated in details and presented in tables and graphs. The results show that the application of rubber base isolators can prevent to occur the destructive effect of earthquakes.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.69 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2019

It is very common to find an empirical formulation in an earthquake design code to calculate fundamental vibration period of a structural system. Fundamental vibration period or frequency is a key parameter to provide adequate information pertinent to dynamic characteristics and performance assessment of a structure. This parameter enables to assess seismic demand of a structure. It is possible to find an empirical formulation related to reinforced concrete structures, masonry towers and slender masonry structures. Calculated natural vibration frequencies suggested by empirical formulation in the literatures has not suits in a high accuracy to the case of rest of the historical masonry bridges due to different construction techniques and wide variety of material properties. For the listed reasons, estimation of fundamental frequency gets harder. This paper aims to present an empirical formulation through Mean Square Error study to find ambient vibration frequency of historical masonry bridges by using a non-linear regression model. For this purpose, a series of data collected from literature especially focused on the finite element models of historical masonry bridges modelled in a full scale to get first global natural frequency, unit weight and elasticity modulus of used dominant material based on homogenization approach, length, height and width of the masonry bridge and main span length were considered to predict natural vibration frequency. An empirical formulation is proposed with 81% accuracy. Also, this study draw attention that this accuracy decreases to 35%, if the modulus of elasticity and unit weight are ignored.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.171-184
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• 2001

A direct discrete formulation suitable for the nonlinear analysis of masonry structures is presented. The numerical approach requires a pair of dual meshes, one for describing displacement fields, one for imposing equilibrium. Forces and displacements are directly used (instead of having to resort to a model derived from a set of differential equations). Associated and nonassociated flow laws are dealt with within a complementarity framework. The main features of the method and of the relevant computer code are discussed. Numerical examples are presented, showing that the numerical approach is able to describe plastic strains, damage effects and crack patterns in masonry structures.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.171-182
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• 2008

In this paper, a methodology for the estimation of masonry elasticity and shear moduli is presented, for linear elasticity considerations. The methodology is based on the assumption that for a "periodic" masonry wall, which is formed by the repetition of a basic unit containing blocks and mortar, the mechanical characteristics of the unit are representative of the characteristics of the entire wall. For their calculation, the finite element analysis method is used. A micro-model with finite elements simulating separately the blocks and the mortar is developed. An equivalent finite element model, using an homogenous material is also developed and assuming equivalence of strains for the two models, the homogenous material properties are estimated. The efficiency of the method and its applicability limits are investigated.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.435-454
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• 2002

The paper proposes analytical forms able to represent with very good approximation the constitutive law experimentally deducible by means of uniaxial cyclic compressive tests on material having softening post-peak behaviour in compression and negligible tensile strength. The envelope, unloading and reloading curves characterizing the proposed model adequately approach structural responses corresponding to different levels of nonlinearity and ductility, requiring a not very high number of parameters to be calibrated experimentally. The reliability of the model is shown by comparing the results that it is able to provide with the ones analytically deduced from two reference models (one for concrete, another for masonry) available in the literature, and with experimental results obtained by the authors in the framework of a research in progress.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.217-231
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• 2014

Ancient masonry towers are regarded as among the most important historical heritage structures of the world. These slender structures typically have orthogonal and circular geometry in plane. These structural forms are commonly installed with adjacent structures. Because of their geometrical shapes and structural constraints, ancient masonry towers are more vulnerable to earthquake damage. The main goal of the paper is to investigate the seismic behavior of Erzurum Clock Tower under earthquake loading and to determine the contribution of the castle walls to the seismic performance of the tower. In this study, four three-dimensional finite element models of the Erzurum Clock Tower were developed and the seismic responses of the models were investigated. Time history analyses were performed using the earthquakes that took place in Turkey in 1983 near Erzurum and in 1992 near Erzincan. In the first model, the clock tower was modeled without the adjacent walls; in the second model, the clock tower was modeled with a castle wall on the south side; in the third model, the clock tower was modeled with a castle wall on the north side; and in the last model, the clock tower was modeled with two castle walls on both the north and south sides. Results of the analyses show that the adjacent walls do not allow lateral movements and the horizontal displacements decreases. It is concluded that the adjacent structures should be taken into consideration when modeling seismic performance in order to get accurate and realistic results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.703-718
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• 2016

Masonry arch bridges present a large segment of Iranian railway bridge stock. The ever increasing trend in traffic requires constant health monitoring of such structures to determine their load carrying capacity and life expectancy. In this respect, the performance of one of the oldest masonry arch bridges of Iranian railway network is assessed through field tests. Having a total of 11 sensors mounted on the bridge, dynamic tests are carried out on the bridge to study the response of bridge to test train, which is consist of two 6-axle locomotives and two 4-axle freight wagons. Finite element model of the bridge is developed and calibrated by comparing experimental and analytical mid-span deflection, and verified by comparing experimental and analytical natural frequencies. Analytical model is then used to assess the possibility of increasing the allowable axle load of the bridge to 25 tons. Fatigue life expectancy of the bridge is also assessed in permissible limit state. Results of F.E. model suggest an adequacy factor of 3.57 for an axle load of 25 tons. Remaining fatigue life of Veresk is also calculated and shown that a 0.2% decrease will be experienced, if the axle load is increased from 20 tons to 25 tons.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.65-82
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• 2022

This paper presents a structural performance assessment of a historical masonry clock tower both using numerical and experimental process. The numerical assessment includes developing of finite element model with considering different types of soil-structure interaction systems, identifying the numerical dynamic characteristics, finite element model updating procedure, nonlinear time-history analysis and evaluation of seismic performance level. The experimental study involves determining experimental dynamic characteristics using operational modal analysis test method. Through the numerical and experimental processes, the current structural behavior of the masonry clock tower was evaluated. The first five experimental natural frequencies were obtained within 1.479-9.991 Hz. Maximum difference between numerical and experimental natural frequencies, obtained as 20.26%, was reduced to 4.90% by means of the use of updating procedure. According to the results of the nonlinear time-history analysis, maximum displacement was calculated as 0.213 m. The maximum and minimum principal stresses were calculated as 0.20 MPa and 1.40 MPa. In terms of displacement control, the clock tower showed only controlled damage level during the applied earthquake record.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.91 no.1
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• pp.103-121
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• 2024

The smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is a numerical technique used in dynamic analysis to simulate the fluid-like behavior of materials under extreme conditions, such as those encountered in explosions or high velocity impacts. In SPH, fluid or solid materials are discretized into particles. These particles interact with each other based on certain smoothing kernels, allowing the simulation of fluid flows and predict the response of solid materials to shock waves, like deformation, cracking or failure. One of the main advantages of SPH is its ability to simulate these phenomena without a fixed grid, making it particularly suitable for analyzing complex geometries. In this study, the structural damage to a masonry arch bridge subjected to blast loading was investigated. A high-fidelity micro-model was created and the explosives were modeled using the SPH approach. The Johnson-Holmquist II damage model and the Mohr-Coulomb material model were considered to evaluate the masonry and backfill properties. Consistent with the principles of the JH-II model, the authors developed a VUMAT code. The explosive charges (50 kg, 168 kg, 425 kg and 1000 kg) were placed in close proximity to the deck and pier of a bridge. The results showed that the 50 kg charges, which could have been placed near the pier by a terrorist, had only a limited effect on the piers. Instead, this charge caused a vertical displacement of the deck due to the confinement effect. Conversely, a 1000 kg TNT charge placed 100 cm above the deck caused significant damage to the bridge.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.223-236
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• 2017

Seismic assessment and rehabilitation of Monumental Buildings constitute an important issue in many regions around the world to preserve cultural heritage. On the contrary, many recent earthquakes have demonstrated the high vulnerability of this type of structures. The high nonlinear masonry behaviour requires ad hoc refined finite element numerical models, whose complexity and computational costs are generally unsuitable for practical applications. For these reasons, several authors proposed simplified numerical strategies to be used in engineering practice. However, most of these alternative methods are oversimplified being based on the assumption of in-plane behaviour of masonry walls. Moreover, they cannot be used for modelling the monumental structures for which the interaction between plane and out-plane behaviour governs the structural response. Recently, an innovative discrete-modelling approach for the simulation of both in-plane and out of-plane response of masonry structures was proposed and applied to study several typologies of historic structures. In this paper the latter model is applied with reference to a real case study, and numerically compared with an advanced finite element modelling. The method is applied to the St.Venerio church in Reggiolo (Italy), damaged during the 2012 Emilia-Romagna earthquake and numerically investigated in the literature.