Page 479 - Advanced Design Examples of Seismic Retrofit of Structures

422 Advanced Design Examples of Seismic Retrofit of Structures

(A) (B)

(C)
FIG. 6.22 Horizontal and vertical elements. (A) Upper-wall horizontal elements. (B) Upper and
lower horizontal elements. (C) Vertical elements in conjunction with upper and lower horizontal
elements. (Adapted from E.L. Tolles, E.E. Kimbro, W.S. Ginell, Planning and Engineering Guide-
lines for the Seismic Retrofitting of Historic Adobe Structures, The Getty Conservation Institute,
Scientific Reports Series, Los Angeles, California, 2002.)

6.4.2 Iranian Experiences
6.4.2.1 Introduction
More than 95% of almost 4 million rural houses in Iran, housing more than
20 million people, have no lateral load-bearing elements and are vulnerable
even to moderate earthquakes [31]. In Iran, one of the most dramatic examples
is the 2003 Bam earthquake in which more than 40,000 people were buried
under heavy masonry and adobe ruins. Based on the study by Ghannad et al.
[32] from several field inspections throughout Iran, nine types of rural houses
were recognized as representatives of existing rural houses. Examples of these
structures together with brief description about each are presented in Table 6.6.
Fig. 6.23 shows the distribution of these types in the whole country. This
classification has been done according to the structural elements of rural houses
consisting of roofs and walls. As can be seen, adobe buildings constitute 13% of
all rural buildings in Iran.

6.4.2.2 Characteristics of Iranian Adobe Buildings
Similar to other countries around the world, the construction practice of adobe
buildings in Iran dates back centuries ago because of the available local mate-
rial, that is, soil, its feasibility and low prices, and last but not least, compati-
bility of adobe properties with the local environmental demands. Iranian adobe