PERPETUATE

PERPETUATE (2010-2013): Performance-based Approach to Earthquake Protection of Cultural Heritage in European and Mediterranean Countries

This research project, which is currently underway, aims to enhance the understanding of scientific community on the seismic vulnerability of traditional and monumental structures. One of the introduced novelties is that, in addition to conventional approaches where the ultimate strength of the masonry structure is assess by assuming “fixity conditions” at the structure base (i.e. totally ignoring the presence of soil), in this research the Soil–Foundation–Structure System is treated as a whole. Hence, more detailed fragility curves may be produced that will also correlate the expected damage to the prevailing soil conditions.

The Laboratory is actively participating in the conducted research and particularly is entrusted to elucidate how soil compliance and the associated SFSI effects may modify the seismic response and subsequently the capacity of the system. Two types of loading conditions are considered: (a) seismic shaking (vibratory loading) and (b) ground induced deformations (quasi-static loading) which may be the result of a tectonic deformation. Advanced numerical tools will be developed to capture some of the distinctive features of the problem, while a significant amount of experimental work will be conducted to validate the numerical predictions.