Case Study About Theseismic Behavior and Possible Retrofit Ofhistorical Masonry Minaret

Abstract

The paper deals with the dynamic behaviour and proposed retrofit method of a block masonry minaret, towerlike structure, of a historical mosque in Istanbul. There are large number of historical mosques and large number of minarets which were built since Ottoman Empire times. Since Turkey located in highly seismic zone, the probable damage to the masonry minarets should be determined and if necessary, safety measures should be considered. It is engineering communities' responsibility to preserve the existing cultural and built heritage by using state-of-the art science, knowledge and information. To achieve this objective, the minaret of historical mosque in Istanbul is chosen and 3D finite element model of structure prepared to obtain probable lateral displacements, crack pattern and failure modes under seismic loads. The problem becomes more complex when the dynamic analyses are also involved. However, after the developments in the dynamic testing of structures and computational methods in structural analysis, studies in this field have led some significant results about the mechanical behaviour of the old buildings. These types of studies are essential not only in protection/retrofit viewpoint but also assessment of similar ancient/historical towerlike structures. The results obtained from the numerical analysis presented have shown that the greatest damage accumulated near the base and the lower part of the minaret and FRP or FRCM material wrapped along and around these critical cross sections improves the lateral behaviour and the results are promising in terms of seismic protection of these heritages by using minimised intervention on the structure.