Seismic Stability Analysis of Historical Construction: A Case Study - Wazirpur Tomb

Abstract

The non-engineered construction of masonry structures has been proved to be the most vulnerable during earthquake and have cited maximum damage during past earthquakes in India [4]. India is a country which is known for its culture and historical importance, therefore the need for an extensive monitoring and stability assessment of historical monuments is required. The historical monuments have been built without taking into consideration the effect of seismic parameters mentioned in latest Indian Standard of Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures. The present study is an attempt to assess the vulnerability & the stability of the historical masonry structures against the horizontal forces produced by major earthquakes using finite element (FE) simulation technique [1, 2]. The Wazirpur Tomb - an example of historical construction has been considered for the present study. The construction of box-like structure of the tomb has been done using locally available sandstone & lime mortar. The Response Spectrum Analysis [3] has been carried out & the response in terms of engineering parameters, such as natural frequency of structure, displacements, stresses etc. have been noted & discussed. The maximum stresses obtained from FE simulation technique have been compared with the permissible compressive & flexural stresses.