Page 452 - Advanced Design Examples of Seismic Retrofit of Structures

398 Advanced Design Examples of Seismic Retrofit of Structures

FIG. 6.6 Examples of using straps and reinforcing bars on adobe walls. (A) Prestressed tire straps
[22]. (B) Effectiveness of external bamboo bars in stabilizing cracks [23]. (C) Internal FRP bars.
((B) Permission from Taylor and Francis. (C) Permission from Dr. Nanni.)

historic adobes remain in California. These buildings are among the most vul-
nerable buildings during earthquakes. For instance, the 1971 San Fernando
earthquake in Los Angeles County destroyed the San Fernando Mission church,
which was the largest and most elaborately decorated residential adobe struc-
ture in California [5].
The Getty Seismic Adobe Project (GSAP) initiative, first discussed in 1990
following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California which had severely
damaged or destroyed historic adobe buildings in the area, was formed with
the aim of minimizing the earthquake-caused damage to historic adobe build-
ings in seismic areas of the southwestern region of the United States as much as
possible. Because the earthquake codes for seismic stability in California and
elsewhere require intrusive retrofitting to stabilize historic structures, the pri-
mary objective of the GSAP initiative was to find technologically sympathetic
and minimally invasive methods of stabilizing these structures. The objective
was not to make adobes “earthquake-proof,” but rather to ensure safety by pre-
venting the overturning of walls during a seismic event. In this part, US