Earthquake tests are intended to protect Adelaide’s legacy

Researchers simulate the effects of an earthquake on historic buildings in an effort to protect Adelaide’s heritage.

Civil engineers at the University of Adelaide are testing the effects of earthquakes on a specially constructed wall. The data from the tests will be used to determine the best way to protect the structures from potential damage.

“We want to prevent catastrophic damage to private historic buildings like St. Peter’s Cathedral and many heritage buildings of similar importance in Adelaide and across the country,” says University of Adelaide professor Michael Griffiths of the School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering.

“The first step in the process is to find out how strong the current structures are, so we constructed a wall that replicated the type of construction found in historic buildings.

“We are testing the wall in our lab by placing it under high vertical loads and pushing it horizontally to simulate movement that might occur due to an earthquake.”

“The data collected will be used by structural engineers and architects when commissioned to seismically enhance heritage structures through designs that are structurally efficient and aesthetically sensitive to heritage architecture.” Professor Griffiths

There is a more than 10% chance that Adelaide will experience a devastating earthquake in the next 50 years. In 1954, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake with an epicenter 12 km south of Adelaide caused walls of homes to collapse and cracked the city’s main post office.

All unreinforced brick and stone buildings listed on the Australian Heritage List were built long before the buildings were designed to withstand earthquake forces. Any building constructed since 1995 is designed not to collapse as a result of a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. Even so, modern buildings may still experience non-structural damage such as cracked walls and ceilings that will require repair.

“To resist collapse, buildings need to redistribute the forces that travel through them during a seismic event,” says Professor Griffiths.

“The data collected will be used by structural engineers and architects when commissioned to seismically enhance heritage structures with designs that are structurally efficient and aesthetically sensitive to heritage architecture.”

The university’s team is helping structural engineers on how best to harden parts of St Peter’s Basilica to make them less vulnerable to damage in the event of an earthquake.

“While some of the most important state-owned buildings received some seismic reinforcements, many others did not,” says Professor Griffiths.

Shear walls, crossed arches, diaphragms and moment resistant frames are essential elements in building reinforcement.

“We inserted a steel frame to reinforce the lantern over the main wing of St. Peter’s Basilica and prepared parts of the roof, neither of which affect the aesthetics of the building. We are planning to conduct an on-site test to evaluate the effectiveness of the other proposed measures.”

Over 50 percent of the buildings in Adelaide’s CBD are unreinforced stone buildings and many of these are of historic significance. After the great earthquake that struck New Zealand in 2011, Christchurch’s main cathedral is still in ruins.

“The cost of repairing unprotected historic buildings in the aftermath of an earthquake is very high,” says Professor Griffiths.

“We don’t want to gamble with our built heritage: protecting it now is better than losing it forever.”

This project was funded by the Australian Research Council.

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