Dry Stone retaining walls, DSRW, are low-cost traditional structures made of stones aimed to stabilize, support backfill and avoid soil erosion. They have massively been used as foundation of dwellings by vulnerable population located in the steeped hills surrounding some Latin-American cities. These walls are built following ancient techniques that are neither well studied nor formally established. Millions of people live in these conditions in seismic zones generating a high-risk situation. Experimental and numerical studies are needed in order to evaluate the reliability of low-cost DSRW and to validate or improve traditional techniques. The objective of this ongoing research is to design and construct a full-scale testing equipment to assess DSRW performance against lateral out-of-plane seismic forces. The methodology consists in the following steps: (1) Review of state-of-art of exp...

Dry Stone retaining walls, DSRW, are low-cost traditional structures made of stones aimed to stabilize, support backfill and avoid soil erosion. They have massively been used as foundation of dwellings by vulnerable population located in the steeped hills surrounding some Latin-American cities. These walls are built following ancient techniques that are neither well studied nor formally established. Millions of people live in these conditions in seismic zones generating a high-risk situation. Experimental and numerical studies are needed in order to evaluate the reliability of low-cost DSRW and to validate or improve traditional techniques. The objective of this ongoing research is to design and construct a full-scale testing equipment to assess DSRW performance against lateral out-of-plane seismic forces. The methodology consists in the following steps: (1) Review of state-of-art of exp...

This research presents an analysis of seismic vulnerability in dwellings built without engineering criteria, aiming to determine their levels of vulnerability. Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) methods, such as those proposed by FEMA P-154 and developed by INDECI, were employed to assess the vulnerability of 20 dwellings. Additionally, a quantitative validation was conducted on two of thesed wellings using parameters like lateral drift to complement the qualitative analysis. The results obtained through FEMA P-154 indicate that 50% of the dwellings exhibit a "Very High" level of vulnerability, 45% a "High" level, and 5% a "Low" level. Meanwhile, the INDECI method classifies 45% of the dwellings as having "Very High" vulnerability and 55% as "High." The quantitative evaluation of lateral drift showed that Dwelling 1 and Dwelling 2 experienced excessive drift values of 0.006979 and 0.004624, re...

In the present study, the incremental static or pushover analysis will be used, since it offers more accurate results compared to the linear analysis. Therefore, its application is indispensable for the evaluation of the seismic performance of a reinforced concrete structure composed of beams, columns and walls. This structure is a multi-family building of 6 levels, rectangular in shape with an area of 120 m2. The methodology used allows obtaining the capacity of the structure against applied lateral loads, thus determining the performance levels for each level of seismic hazard according to the VISION 2000 guidelines. The study begins with an exhaustive analysis of the geometry, structural elements of the building, the use of standards and guidelines related to seismic resistance. However, two 3D structural models were created in Etabs V.21, called model 1 and model 2. In model 1, the n...

This article analyses the structural behaviour of an educational pavilion more than 70 years old in a highly seismic area, with damage to beams and columns attributed to the current use of the roof as a warehouse, in addition to having a high probability of collapse according to the FEMA P-154 seismic vulnerability study. Diamond extractions were carried out based on the ASCE 41-06 standard to obtain the compressive strength of the columns and beams. After the tests, linear and nonlinear analysis were performed based on the E.030 and ASCE 41-17 standards, respectively. The structural modelling confirmed non-compliance with the maximum distortion of 7/1000 allowed by the standard for the Y-axis gantry system. Therefore, RC jacketing was proposed as a reinforcement alternative according to the UNAM reinforcement guide and the IS 15988:2013 standard. The encasement of columns along the Y-ax...