Author

SALEK ZAMANKHANI, J
Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Faculty of Architecture and Art, Architecture Dep., Tabriz, Iran
ARUN, G.
Prof.Dr., Yildiz Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, Structural Systems Dep., Istanbul, Turkey, gorun@yildiz.edu.tr

Abstract

Adobe has traditionally been the primary construction material in Iran. More than 80% of rural houses in Iran are made of adobe, brick or stone masonry and constructed using strictly local materials and unskilled labor. Performance of traditional adobe construction during numerous earthquakes in Iran has generally been poor. The studies on seismic performance of masonry structures indicate that walls are the most important structural elements affecting vulnerability severity level. In this research the influence of physical properties of adobe masonry walls on their seismic behavior has been studied. First, some of the undamaged and damaged buildings in Silakhor earthquake were selected and by using the information forms designed for this purpose, the entire physical properties of 43 adobe walls and their accurate damage specifications were collected. The analyses done by SPSS software on the collected data, relation between wall properties and vulnerability severity level have been studied.

Key words
Masonry structures, vulnerability, seismic performance, adobe wall, Silakhor earthquake