Performance of Posttensioned Seismic Retrofit of Two Stone Masonry Buildings during the Canterbury Earthquakes
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 29, Issue 4
Abstract
Seismic retrofitting of unreinforced masonry buildings using posttensioning has been the topic of many recent experimental research projects. However, the performance of such retrofit designs in actual design-level earthquakes has previously been poorly documented. In 1984, two stone masonry buildings within The Arts Centre of Christchurch received posttensioned seismic retrofits, which were subsequently subjected to design level seismic loads during the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence. These 26-year-old retrofits were part of a global scheme to strengthen and secure the historic building complex and were subject to considerable budgetary constraints. Given the limited resources available at the time of construction and the current degraded state of the steel posttension tendons, the posttensioned retrofits performed well in preventing major damage to the overall structure of the two buildings in the Canterbury earthquakes. When compared to other similar unretrofitted structures within The Arts Centre, it is demonstrated that the posttensioning significantly improved the in-plane and out-of-plane wall strength and the ability to limit residual wall displacements. The history of The Arts Centre buildings and the details of the Canterbury earthquakes is discussed, followed by examination of the performance of the posttension retrofits and the suitability of this technique for future retrofitting of other historic unreinforced masonry buildings.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the Arts Centre of Christchurch for allowing access and information to be provided during a busy and difficult time of postearthquake reconstruction. In addition, the helpful insight of original design engineer Brian Wood as well as the structural engineers at Holmes Consulting Group in Christchurch that assisted in the collection of resources and provided their expert opinion in assessing the buildings involved is greatly appreciated. Finally, Ilaria Senaldi is thanked for photographic contributions.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 29 • Issue 4 • August 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 20, 2013
Accepted: Feb 27, 2014
Published online: Sep 2, 2014
Discussion open until: Feb 2, 2015
Published in print: Aug 1, 2015
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