Walls of corridors and chambers in the Neolithic dolmens of Portugal and Spain were constructed using megalithic slabs or masonry. When constructed with slabs, the slabs were arranged using two very different construction systems, based either on placement of an orthostat or on imbrication of the slabs. Although generally dolmens are described with orthostats, on the Iberian Peninsula are most ...

Many single or multispan arch bridges are strengthened with the addition of some kind of structural support between adjacent arches of multispan or beside the arch barrel of a single span to increase the strength of the overall structure. It was traditionally formed by either placing loose rubble masonry blocks between the arches and beside the arches or using mortar or concrete to construct a ...

Abstract: Sylhet is the northeastern region of Bangladesh and probability of earthquake in Sylhet is higher than other areas of this zone. Among 27 wards, Ward no. 14 is one of the important largest Wards in Sylhet city and a densely populated one. It was clear from the survey works, 42.8% buildings are belongs to Building with RCC frame 54.03% buildings are Masonry buildings. Another interesti...

Thermal load calculations have been performed for multi-layered walls that are composed of three different parts; a common (sand and cement) plaster, and two types of locally produced soft and hard bricks. The masonry construction of these layered walls was based on concrete-backed stone masonry made of limestone bricks joined by mortar. These multilayered walls are forming the outer walls of t...

The intrinsic nature of local rocks shaped the features of built heritage in historical centers. The resulting building culture is part of the cultural heritage itself, and must be considered when building in such areas, while it is essential to solve the issues related to traditional constructions’ weaknesses. Nonetheless, the potentialities of massive stone envelopes, particularly the importa...

The paper aims to extract the dynamic properties of existing structures without utilizing the analytical models. The ambient vibration testing could be used on any type of frame such as concrete, steel and masonry to investigate the structural vulnerability. The method could be the first stage and necessarily for the retrofit process. To achieve this aim, the ambient vibration testing can...

This paper deals with the failure risk of masonry constructions under the effect of floods. It is developed within a probabilistic framework, with loads and resistances considered as random variables. Two complementary approaches have been investigated for this purpose: – a global approach based on combined effects of several governing parameters with individual weighted contribution (material ...

Mechanical behaviour of old masonry may differ from the theoretical one to a great extent, hence it needs to be properly evaluated for quantifying the safety and serviceability of real structures, in view of their rehabilitation and/or seismic reliability assessment. Among the factors affecting such behaviour, the presence of moisture, mainly from rising damp, plays a key role in the deteriorat...

The purpose of this research program is to investigate the dynamic failure properties of an unreinforced masonry panel under controlled dynamic loading conditions. This rig design is based on the classic diamond loading pattern. It is designed to achieve a uniform stress over the central area of the panel. The aim of the measurements will be to measure the rate of damage evolution in an inital ...