NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE SEISMIC RESPONSE OF HEPHAESTUS TEMPLE IN ATHENS, GREECE

Abstract eng:
In this paper, the seismic response of the Temple of Hephasteus in Athens, Greece is investigated numerically. The temple of Hephaestus was probably erected between 460 and 420 BC by a yet unknown architect on top of Agoraios Kolonos hill, which is delimiting the Ancient Agora of Athens to the west. It is one of the best preserved ancient temples, partly because it was transformed into a Christian church. The analyses were performed using the general purpose code 3DEC, which is based on the distinct element method, and can capture well the dynamics of multi-block systems, which respond to strong earthquakes with intense rocking and sliding of the individual blocks. The ground motions that were used as base excitations were selected to be compatible with the seismotectonic environment of the ancient center of Athens and within the range of the maximum expected earthquakes. In the numerical model, the full monument was implemented, but an investigation of the accuracy obtained with sub-models concerning small parts of the temple was also performed. The structural members were simulated quite accurately, but the columns and the walls were modeled intact, without the imperfections and the damage observed in the current state of the monument. However, the computer codes that were used were producing damage to the structure after each earthquake. In this way, it was possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the used software by comparing the predicted damage with the existing one.

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