Seismic behavior of an old masonry building in Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal

Abstract

Vila Real de Santo António is located in the Algarve region and was erected ex novo at the end of the 18 th Century, after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, following a Pombaline development that showed seismic concern at an urban and architectural level. However, most of the original constructions have been subjected to continuous alterations or even substituted for new ones. The first building built in the town was the Alfândega or Customs House and was selected as a case study because it still preserves most of its original characteristics. It was studied through historical survey, visual inspection and experimental in-situ characterization. As a result, a detailed finite element model was constructed and pushover analyses were carried out to assess its seismic vulnerability. The main goals of the paper are to understand the resisting mechanisms and seismic behavior of the building, as well as to evaluate the influence of structural alterations.

Seismic Vulnerability and Loss Assessment of Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal: Application of a Novel Method

“…Most of the buildings could only be inspected from the exterior, but some specific buildings could be surveyed more in detail, obtaining information of the different structural elements (roof, floors, masonry walls, partition walls, etc.). As an example, the Alfândega or Customs House was thoroughly studied through historical survey, visual inspection and experimental in-situ dynamic identification, which allowed calibrating numerical models and estimate material properties (Ortega et al 2016). Since VRSA was constructed simultaneously, a great homogeneity in the building characteristics was generally observed.…”

“…Given the low variations for parameters P1, P3 and P5, the table confirms that the main building structural typology evaluated is similar, consisting of thick load bearing irregular masonry walls (class 3 for P3) coupled with flexible timber horizontal diaphragms (class 4 for P5). It should be noted that the class for the masonry was assigned based on the previously mentioned experimental investigation (Ortega et al 2016), which was performed on a building that presents the original walls. Thus, the type of material used for buildings constructed at a later stage (19th or 20th century) might not be the same.…”