Multi-hazard reliability assessment of historical brick minarets

Abstract

Historical brick minarets are the main elements of Iranian architecture and exist throughout Iran in different dimensions and heights. In this paper, the structural behavior of the Gaskar brick minaret, in the north of Iran, with a height of 16.11 m, has been studied against wind and earthquake hazards. Accurate discretization of finite element (FE) model of the minaret is performed to achieve accurate structural results. Then the wind load (WL) and earthquake load demand are determined according to the national building regulations, and technical literature then applied to the structure. Macro modeling strategies were utilized to modeling the masonry materials environment. Nonlinear properties are also assigned to masonry materials. The equivalent static WL is considered according to national building regulations. Three strong ground motion earthquake records are considered as seismic loading. In order to probabilistic seismic safety analysis of minaret, the load-resistance method was used for reliability analysis. The elasticity modulus, tensile and compressive strength of materials used as random variables generated by Monte-Carlo simulation (MCS) for 10% coefficient of variations. Peak displacement response (PDR) of the minaret as implicit limit state (LS) function is determined under far-field ground motions. The seismic reliability index (RI) is quantified using the design of experiment (DOE) due to its time-consuming computational costs. The results showed that the minaret is safe against design WL and loading of the strongest wind recorded in the world. The seismic reliability results indicate that the minaret is at risk of slight damage.

Architectural Characteristics and Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of a Historical Masonry Minaret under Different Seismic Risks and Probabilities of Exceedance

“…The macro modeling technique is one of the commonly used masonry structural modeling techniques in the literature. The historical masonry bell towers in South-East Lombardy in Italy [63], historical fortified masonry palaces in Switzerland and Northern Italy [64], Emir Bayındır Bridge in Turkey [65], San Pietro and San Benedetto churches in Italy [66], Torre De la Vela in Spain [67], Gaskar brick minaret in Iran [68] and five historical masonry minarets in Antalya (Turkey) [69] are some of the studies examining the seismic behavior of different types of structures using this type of structural modeling technique. While doing this type of modeling, analyses are carried out without making any distinction between the binding material (mortar, etc.)…”

Reliability-Based Assessment of Galloping Instability of Thin-Walled Steel Beams

“…Despite requiring high computational effort, Monte Carlo simulation is an efficient method for reliability evaluation of complex engineering structures [20][21][22][23][24]. In this paper, the reliability analysis of galloping stability of the beam was performed using a large number of Monte Carlo simulations.…”

A parametric study in reinforced concrete frames with different infill wall materials

“…The study revealed that walls significantly enhanced the seismic capacity of structures, particularly in low-rise buildings (Wijaya et al 2020). Pouraminian (2022) analyzes the structural resilience of the Gaskar brick minaret in northern Iran to wind and earthquake hazards using a finite element model. The study demonstrates that the minaret can withstand design wind loads and resists significant seismic impacts with only slight potential damage.…”

“…The study demonstrates that the minaret can withstand design wind loads and resists significant seismic impacts with only slight potential damage. It highlights the importance of incorporating both wind and seismic considerations in the conservation strategies for historical structures (Pouraminian, 2022). Rahgozar et al (2021) explores the effectiveness of controlled rocking steel cores (CRSCs) in reducing damage from earthquakes.…”