Seismic Mitigation of a Historic Masonry Building

This work presents an analysis of different proposals of rehabilitation of a masonry building, built around the beginning of the XX century for public schools, in the highest seismic risk zone of Argentine; and which was closed down after Mendoza`s Earthquake in 1985. The building has masonry walls of artisanal ceramic bricks and wood-framed roof but it does not have lateral ties. Currently, it gives evidence of structural pathologies due to various seismic events and the lack of maintenance by water losses. The work was developed in two stages, one in 1999, and the other one in 2010. At each stage, the evaluation of pathologies was carried out. Studies of the soil and the characterization of materials used were also conducted. As a reference, the effect of vibrations generated by the traffic was measured. With the parameters obtained, the structure was modeled through finite elements in order to verify the status of damage and the behavior of the proposed rehabilitation (reinforced concrete or steel structure). The technique of rehabilitation accepted by the heritage experts is the reversible type, in order to avoid further damage to the existing masonry. The seismic capacity is evaluated according to the rules in force. Both proposals should be considered as determining the site conditions and soils in relation to the vulnerability of construction and structural safety. The chosen solution has not only taken into account the use but also the service life of this intervention and the lowest cost possible with local technologies.