Macro-modeling of Adobe Piers for Seismic Analysis of Adobe Dwellings in Cuenca, Ecuador

Ecuador lies on the eastern rim of the seismically active area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. In 1999, Cuenca’s unique architecture and historical buildings were listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Trust sites; many of these dwellings are composed of adobe walls. The aim of this papers is to present the mechanical characteristics of adobe walls representative of Cuenca’s historical buildings and a equivalent frame model to approximate the strength and vulnerability of a historical building, the behavior of masonry is represented from a macro-model approach. The properties of units and piers are obtained from experimental tests performed in the laboratories of the University of Cuenca. The numerical procedure is based on a macro-element model that is capable of reproducing flexural-rocking and shear failure modes. The macro-element is capable of representing with only one element the behavior of a whole masonry panel. The numerical results of adobe piers are compared with those of experimental tests, showing similar values for the elastic and inelastic ranges with close approximation of maximum shear strength and type of failure. This comparison allowed to estimate the mechanical properties of the macro-element model, which were used to model a historical building, Seminario San Luis. Research in this area will contribute to the conservation of historical dwellings and for future retrofitting and strengthening.