Dynamical Characterization of Typical Mexican Colonial Churches

Abstract eng:
The dynamical characterization of ancient masonry churches built in the colonial era in Mexico by means of a case study is presented. The seismic assessment of old masonry churches is not an easy task, mainly due to the fact that the churches are large structures with complex geometries and built with materials with highly nonlinear behavior. These constructions vary in architectural styles, but mostly follow some basic typologies. The simplest one is the small parochial church which can be found in every village and town in Mexico. The dynamical characterization was performed by means of a study case of a typical church of the center of Mexico. The aim of the characterization is to develop a methodology to study the seismic vulnerability of this type of constructions. The study is based on complementary analysis approach. Thus, three steps were performed: a)preliminary studies, which must include historical information, materials and geometry description and survey of the structure, monitoring, non–destructive tests, etc; b) calibration and validation of numerical models, based on the results obtained from the previous step; and c) the dynamical characterization. This approach allows to overcome the complexity of the study of the seismic behavior of ancient masonry structures; by combining the results of different type of models and analysis. The paper is based on a case study but also provides a very relevant discussion on an issue that has received insufficient attention: the seismic analysis of masonry structures without a box behavior. From the results obtained, it was identified that roof system cannot be considered as rigid diaphragm. The dynamical characterization shows that the belfry and the roof (dome and vaults) are the most critical elements. The church is very rigid, since the lateral wall drifts are so low. Thus out-of-plane and shear behavior in walls are not critical behaviors.

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket