Seismic behaviour of portuguese rammed earth buildings

2015-07-01

Barros, Ricardo Freitas Lima da Silva; Varum, Humberto; Rodrigues, Hugo; Correia, Mariana; Vasconcelos, Graça; Lourenço, Paulo B.

Rammed earth; Vernacular heritage; Seismic behaviour

Rammed earth is one of the oldest building materials in the world and is present in thePortugal with a particular focus in the South of the country. The mechanical properties andthe structural behaviour of rammed earth constructions have been the subject of study ofmany researchers in the recent years. This study is part of a broader research on vernacularseismic culture in Portugal. Numerical analyses were carried out on a rammed earth masonryconstruction representative of the vernacular heritage of Alentejo region. Variations in thegeometry, constructive characteristics and material properties were implemented and the mainconclusions of the non-linear static and modal analysis are presented. Analysing the damageframework allowed interpreting the weaknesses of this type of constructions and consider themost appropriate reinforcement methodologies.