Centrifuge modelling for evaluation of seismic behaviour of stone masonry structure

Abstract

Many surviving ancient monuments are freestanding stone masonry structures, which appear to be vulnerable to horizontal dynamic loads such as earthquakes. However, such structures have stood for thousands of years despite numerous historic earthquakes. This study proposes a scaled-down dynamic centrifuge modelling test to study how these masonry structures resist seismic loading. The test is proposed for seismic risk assessments to evaluate risk of damage from a future seismic event. The seismic behaviour of a 3-storey, freestanding stone block structure has been modelled and tested within a centrifuge. Models were made at 3 different scales and dynamic tests were conducted using different centrifugal acceleration fields so that the behaviours could be transformed to an equivalent full-scale prototype and compared. Data from 2 earthquakes and a sweeping signal were used to simulate the effects of earthquake ground motion within the centrifuge. The acceleration and frequency responses at each storey height of the model were recorded in different centrifugal acceleration fields. Similar behaviours appeared when the results of the small-scale models were transformed to a full-size prototype scale. This confirms that the seismic behaviour of stone masonry structures can be predicted using scaled-down models.