Quantitative Contribution of Timber Ring Beams in the Dynamic Response of Adobe Masonry Structures

Abstract

Earthen structures made of adobe bricks are complex systems that making the identification of their behavior difficult, especially when they have to sustain lateral forces such as seismic forces. This paper presents a numerical investigation for the assessment of the structural response of unreinforced adobe masonry structures and how the installation of wooden ring beams contributes to their overall resistance. In the framework of the numerical investigation, finite element models were created to simulate the response of an adobe building with and without the presence of wooden ring beams. The test building is located in Cyprus, in the South Eastern Mediterranean region which is a seismic area. The material properties used in this study were found in the literature and were based on experimental data for local materials. The models were subjected to earthquake loads, performing time history analyses for the calculation of pertinent displacements and stresses. The findings indicate that integrating wooden ring beams reduces the fundamental period by 6% and modifies the building’s seismic behavior. This modification is evident not just in the magnitude of the stresses but also in their distribution, leading to a stratified stress profile. Peak stresses are primarily concentrated around the ring beams.