Effect of restoration interventions on the seismic behavior of historical masonry buildings: The case of Molla Siyah mosque

Abstract

The protection of historical masonry mosques against earthquakes can be achieved by an accurate assessment of nonlinear behavior, such as heavy damage and collapse. For this reason, historical buildings have been strengthened many times in the past and today. To this end, nonlinear analysis of 3D finite element models of structures is a common and reliable approach. This article examines the seismic performance of historical Molla Siyah Mosques, which are defined as cultural assets by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the Republic of Turkey, under the influence of earthquake ground motions. It has been investigated how the concrete vault cover applied to the mosque in previous years affects seismic behavior, force–displacement capacity and collapse mechanism of the structure. The mosque has not been studied before using any advanced numerical simulation method. In addition, no studies have been conducted to determine the damage propagation and collapse mechanisms of the mosque. Detailed finite element model was developed by defining the architectural features of mosque. The finite element model was calibrated in the light of the experimental modal analysis results found in the literature. In order to obtain the seismic behavior and collapse mechanisms of the mosques, nonlinear dynamic analyses were performed using the ground motion records from 1992 Erzincan, 1992 Cape Mendocino and 1995 Kobe earthquakes. An evaluation has been made for concrete cover vault in terms of maximum principal strains, maximum displacements, damage distributions and failure mechanisms of the mosque. It has been determined that the reinforcements applied in historical structures can significantly change the seismic behavior of the structures.