VILLA GARCIA, GLADYS1; GINOCCHIO, FRANCISCO2; TEJADA, URBANO3

1) Associate Professor, Catholic University of Peru, Department of Civil Engineering, gvillag@pucp.edu.pe

2) Assistant Professor, Catholic University of Peru, Department of Civil Engineering, fginoc@pucp.edu.pe

3) Associate Professor, Catholic University of Peru, Department of Civil Engineering, utejada@pucp.edu.pe

Earthen based constructions, with undesirable seismic behavior, have been used in Peru since ancient times. Their continuous use by poor people and the need to emphasize technical aspects regarding their safety gave rise to the “Workshop of Traditional Construction Materials”. Adobe, rammed earth and quincha are presented from the structural behavior point of view, showing their seismic vulnerability, the research done and the reinforcement systems developed at the Catholic University of Peru.

Students receive information about Peruvian technical and social housing conditions. They are introduced to the patrimonial value of existing adobe buildings in downtown Lima, declared World Heritage.

Undergraduates prepare small size adobe units and build four modules. One is unreinforced, one is internally reinforced with cane and two are externally reinforced with electrically welded mesh and polymer mesh respectively. These are tested in the seismic simulator and the qualitative results contribute to the understanding of important seismic design principles.

Keywords: education, adobe, masonry, seismic simulation