This paper summarizes observations and conclusions from a series of investigations on the seismic performance of stone masonry Christian basilica churches. A considerable number of these churches develops structural damage to the masonry walls-piers that arises from the amplitude of the gravitational and seismic actions combined with the deformability of the foundation. This traditional "old-type" construction for Christian churches still exists in several regions of the Mediterranean Basin, apart from Greece, despite the considerable seismic hazard that these regions are exposed to. An expert system was developed, which utilizes the basic geometric and material characteristics of a given masonry pier together with the in-plane stress resultant demands in a cross section, such as the axial force (Ny) the bending moment (M y ) and the shear force (Q y ), in order to check the performance of such a pier. This is done by comparing the demands posed by these stress resultants with the corresponding capacities as they are predicted by the provisions of Euro-code 6 or from relevant empirical formulae. This is done by considering either the in-plane flexural or the in-plane shear capacity. This expert system is applied to typical basilica churches damaged by the recent 2014 Kefalonia earthquake in order to demonstrate its usefulness in the evaluation process of either the expected or the observed earthquake performance of this type of heritage structure.
This paper presents summary results from a numerical study that examined the dynamic behaviour of a mock-up of the proposed retaining wall scheme aimed at supporting the North ancient wall of the Macedonian Palace at Vergina, Greece. Part of this retaining wall scheme represents the ruined ancient wall that will be restored. This wall will have at its base those monoliths of the ancient that survive in good condition so that can be used again. For the rest of the wall new monoliths will be used which will be constructed in-situ for this purpose. The restored wall will be partly supported by an additional wall to be built at its back which will also support the ruins of the Macedonian palace. The restored ancient defense wall will be connected at its back with special ties to the rest of the retaining wall scheme. The stability of the restored ancient wall is examined through a mock-up that simulates the geometric non-linearities from the sliding and rocking of the monoliths as well as those from the special ties. The friction characteristics between the new prototype monoliths were investigated experimentally at the laboratory.
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