Open AccessSeismic vulnerability of historical orthodox churches in Romania: numerical modelling and retrofit solutions
Author(s) -
Mircea Bârnaure,
Mirela Coman,
Dragoș Florin Marcu
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/586/1/012024
Subject(s) - damages , masonry , vulnerability (computing) , vulnerability assessment , forensic engineering , civil engineering , geology , engineering , law , computer science , political science , computer security , psychology , psychological resilience , psychotherapist
Historical orthodox churches in Romania are generally masonry structures, built without a clear understanding of earthquake demands. Past earthquakes have shown specific damage patterns for these buildings: damages in domes and bell towers, damages of the church nave (particularly a general longitudinal dislocation), damages of the infrastructure. As some of the existing buildings have high architectural or historical value, their structural strengthening is important. Typical failure mechanisms for churches under earthquake loads are identified. Based on these mechanisms, the methods for assessing the seismic vulnerability of existing churches are discussed. A historical listed church is considered as case study. The considered numerical model is presented. Qualitative and quantitative results obtained from the numerical model for the un-retrofitted building are analysed. A retrofit solution is proposed. Comparisons are made between the expected structural behaviour of the church in its present state and after structural strengthening. Conclusions are drawn regarding the seismic vulnerability of this type of buildings.