Dynamic behavior of two models of adobe masonry dwelling with and without the confinement of concrete elements

Abstract

The impact of seismic events on populations living in unreinforced adobe masonry buildings, mostly located in rural areas in Mexico and the rest of Latin America, has given rise to research aimed at studying construction and structural aspects in order to guarantee the stability of dwelling and the safety of the people who live there. This study presents the analysis of the dynamic behavior on the earthquake shaking table to contrast the response of adobe models at 1:3 scale without additional reinforcement in walls and roof, and with concrete reinforcement in walls and roof. The tests consider frequency, acceleration, displacement and scale factor according to the similarity laws corresponding to the physical and mechanical properties of the specimen. The results and conclusions show the stability advantages of adobe dwellings with the use of reinforcement based on concrete elements in a seismic event, compared to dwelling without reinforcement.