Seismic behavior of two Portuguese adobe buildings: part II -numerical modeling and fragility assessment

Considering the likely unfavorable behavior under seismic action of adobe construction, this article aims at providing a seismic fragility characterization of two adobe Portuguese traditional buildings, using numerical models calibrated over experimental results. The study of such two case-study buildings in the region of Aveiro contributes to the understanding of the seismic fragility of adobe construction in the region in general. The buildings were numerically modeled to estimate their structural behavior under seismic loading using adobe material properties that were calibrated based on the experimental results of a cyclic in-plane test of a full-scale double-T shaped adobe wall. The method chosen to characterize adobe masonry and model its nonlinear behavior followed a total strain crack-based macro-modeling (TSCM) approach, whereas pushover analysis was carried out to reproduce the pseudo-static experimental test in order to enable a refined calibration of adobe masonry mechanical properties. Fragility functions were then derived, based on the above-mentioned numerical models, using nonlinear static analysis, bringing further insight on the seismic fragility of traditional Portuguese adobe construction.