A Model for the Structural and Seismic Assessment of the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba

Abstract

Monumental heritage buildings were typically built without considering the seismic action. Therefore, they are potentially susceptible to seismic damage. The structural assessment and the vulnerability analysis of historical buildings is a complicated task. It requires a complex study and specialised technical skills. In order to gain some insight and to provide refined results, a model for the structural and the seismic performance of the Abd ´al-Rahman I sector of the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba (Spain) has been presented. The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, its monumental core and its surroundings were included in the World Heritage List in 1984. Its structural system is based on parallel arcades and naves. It was started to be built in the 8 th century and it has been enlarged several times. This monumental building is located in a seismic area of the southern Iberian Peninsula, characterised by large/very large earthquakes of long-return periods. In this work, a novel 3D model has been developed based on the finite element (FE) method in the OpenSees framework. The model has been elaborated through the analysis of historical data and in situ verifications. An experimental campaign has been carried out to calibrate the numerical model. Gravitational and horizontal nonlinear static analyses have been performed to determine the structural and the seismic capacity of the structure. The results have shown that the building presents the worst seismic behaviour in the direction perpendicular to the arcades. This study represents a pioneer experiment concerning the structural and seismic analysis of this building.