Performance of Adobe Residential Buildings in the 2003 Bam, Iran, Earthquake

Abstract

Adobe, in the form of sun-dried bricks and clay or lime/clay mortar, has traditionally been the primary construction material in Iran. Presently, this type of construction still constitutes a notable portion of the buildings in the urban areas and a majority of the buildings in the rural areas. Performance of traditional adobe construction during numerous Iranian earthquakes has generally been poor. Low material strength, poor workmanship, lack of proper connections between building elements, and the excessive weight of the building because of thick walls and massive roofs, are but a few of the shortcomings that contributed to the general weakness of these buildings under earthquake loads. This paper examines the performance of adobe residential buildings during the Bam, Iran earthquake. The current rehabilitation trends for this type of construction in Iran are also discussed.

Saving lives in earthquakes: successes and failures in seismic protection since 1960

“…This method of building has been documented in the World Housing Encyclopedia (Maheri et al 2006) Figs. 32 and 33.…”

“…These houses, built following the Gholbaf earthquake in Kerman Province in 1981, were again shaken by a powerful earthquake in 1998, but none suffered major damage (source:Maheri et al 2006, Reproduced by permission of Earthquake Engineering Research Institute)• Lack of foundations.• Limited maintenance.…”

Non-linear Dynamic Finite Element Analysis of Adobe Masonry Structures with Various Roof Diaphragm Configurations

“…Experimental [3,19,24] and field studies [2,18,25] have revealed that unreinforced adobe masonry construction exhibits relatively poor performance to dynamic loading and is prone to seismic damage. This implies that there is an imminent need for the establishment of appropriate appraisal/design tools, which can assist in the development and assessment of effective measures to protect such buildings from the destructive effects of earthquakes.…”

Improved Performance Of Earth Structures By Lime And Gypsum Addition

“…Not only are adobe buildings environmentally friendly, but they are also advantageous regarding production and service costs compared to buildings made from burned bricks (CID, 1993, Riza et al 2010. Adobe constructions, besides their superiority, are criticized as needing repair (Kerali, 2001), having thick and heavy walls, relatively low compressive and shear strengths and in particular the possibility of becoming damaged under earthquake effects (Ural et al, 2011, Maheri et al, 2005. Damages in adobe buildings are associated with material quality, ground motion acceleration, wall slenderness, structural design and geometry which have an effect on building performance (Bariola andSozen, 1990, Samali et al, 2011).…”