Influence of soil–structure interaction on seismic demands of historic masonry structure of Kashan Grand Bazaar

Abstract

Heritage structures are an important part of the history of each community as well as an economic resource. This study aims to investigate the earthquake damage and failure mechanism of a historic Bazaar located in Kashan (center of Iran), which dates back to the eighteenth century. Numerical models were built by a macro method, considering two cases of fixed support and soil–structure interaction (SSI). To assess the structural behavior, modal, nonlinear static, and dynamic time history analyses were performed using a three dimensional finite element method. The results of SSI analysis show an intense weakness of the structure against the required demand based on the design spectrum. Also, foundation flexibility has a great impact on the vibration characteristics, displacement demand, and damage distribution. By comparing the results of time history analysis to the pushover procedure, a lower shear value and higher displacement are obtained. Furthermore, the damage process is as dome collapse alongside short arch, consequently long arch collapse followed by pier wall overturning.