Shaking table testing and numerical simulation of the seismic response of a typical Mexican colonial temple: Fid-Bau Portal

Shaking table testing and numerical simulation of the seismic response of a typical Mexican colonial temple

Chávez, Marcos / Meli, Roberto

A shaking table testing program was undertaken with the main objective of providing basic information for the calibration of analytical models, and procedures for determining seismic response of typical stone masonry temples of the 16–18th centuries stone masonry construction in Mexico. A typical colonial temple was chosen as a prototype. A model at a 1:8 geometric scale was built with the same materials and techniques as the prototype, and was subjected to horizontal and vertical motions of increasing intensities. The maximum applied intensity corresponded to a base shear force of about 58 of the total building weight. Vertical component of the base motion significantly affected the response and increased the damage of the model. Damage patterns were similar to those observed in actual temples. Damping coefficients of the response ranged from 7 for undamaged state, reached about 14 for severe damage.

The main features of the measured response were compared with those computed using a nonlinear, finite element model; for the latter, a constitutive law developed for plain concrete was adopted for reproducing cracking and crushing of the irregular stone masonry. Observed damage patterns as well as measured response could be reproduced with reasonable accuracy by the analytical simulation, except for some local vibrations, as those at the top of the bell towers. It can be concluded that the simple constitutive law adopted for the simulation was able to reproduce the experimental response with reasonable level of accuracy. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.