Lateral Load Behavior of Traditional Assam-Type Wooden House
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 145, Issue 8
Abstract
The traditional Assam-type wooden house is one of the very few housing systems in India that has performed exceptionally well during past earthquakes. Due to the high seismicity of the northeastern region of India, local people have developed a unique earthquake resistant housing typology using locally available materials. The houses have a number of features, such as the light mass of the walls and roof, good wall-to-wall connection, and flexible joints that contribute to their earthquake safety. In spite of these exceptionally good features, these houses have not received due attention and their behavior has not been studied so far. In this study, full-scale frames of a single-story Assam-type house were tested under slow cyclic and monotonic lateral loads. Results showed excellent behavior in terms of lateral drift and ductility capacity without any significant drop in lateral load capacity even under large lateral drift. Failure was primarily due to the separation of secondary stud members at connections and flexural failure of vertical posts at a very high lateral drift levels during monotonic loading. However, the connections of the main posts with the foundation and with the top beam remained intact during the tests. Simplified analytical models were developed for lateral load analysis of the Assam-type housing frames and their lateral load behavior was validated with the experimental results. Finally, a simple empirical equation was developed for estimation of lateral load capacity of such frames from regression analysis of the experimental data.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), and a research grant (DST/TSG/STS/2012/65-G) provided by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
References
Ahmad, N., Q. Ali, and M. Umar. 2012. “Simplified engineering tools for seismic analysis and design of traditional dhajji-dewari structures.” Bull. Earthquake Eng. 10 (5): 1503–1534. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-012-9364-9.
Aktaş, Y. D. 2017. “Seismic resistance of traditional timber-frame hımış structures in Turkey: A brief overview.” Supplement, Int. Wood Prod. J. 8 (S1): 21–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/20426445.2016.1273683.
Aktaş, Y. D., U. Akyüz, A. Türer, B. Erdil, and N. Ş. Güçhan. 2014. “Seismic resistance evaluation of traditional Ottoman timber-frame hımış houses: Frame loadings and material tests.” Earthquake Spectra 30 (4): 1711–1732. https://doi.org/10.1193/011412EQS011M.
Aktaş, Y. D., and A. Türer. 2016. “Seismic performance evaluation of traditional timber hımış frames: Capacity spectrum method based assessment.” Bull. Earthquake Eng. 14 (11): 3175–3194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-016-9943-2.
Ali, Q., T. Schacher, M. Ashraf, B. Alam, A. Naeem, N. Ahmad, and M. Umar. 2012. “In-plane behavior of the dhajji-dewari structural system (wooden braced frame with masonry infill).” Earthquake Spectra 28 (3): 835–858. https://doi.org/10.1193/1.4000051.
ASTM. 2010. Standard test method for diagonal tension (shear) in masonry assemblages. ASTM E519/E519M. West Conshohoken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2014. Standard test methods for small clear specimens of timber. ASTM D143. West Conshohoken, PA: ASTM.
Basha, S. H., and H. B. Kaushik. 2016. “Suitability of fly ash brick masonry as infill in reinforced concrete frames.” Mater. Struct. 49 (9): 3831–3845. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-015-0757-5.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 1986. Methods of testing of small clear specimens of timber. IS 1708. New Delhi, India: BIS.
Cardoso, R., M. Lopes, and R. Bento. 2004. “Earthquake resistant structures of Portuguese old ‘pombalino’ buildings.” In Proc., 13th World Conf. on Earthquake Engineering. Vancouver, Canada: Canadian Association for Earthquake Engineering, and International Association for Earthquake Engineering.
Cardoso, R., M. Lopes, and R. Bento. 2005. “Seismic evaluation of old masonry buildings. Part I: Method description and application to a case-study.” Eng. Struct. 27 (14): 2024–2035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2005.06.012.
Ceccotti, A., P. Faccio, M. Nart, C. Sandhaas, and P. Simeone. 2006. “Seismic behaviour of historic timber-frame buildings in the Italian Dolomites.” In Proc., ICOMOS Int. Wood Committee–15th Int. Symp. Charenton-le-Pont, France: International Council on Monuments and Sites.
Ceccotti, A., P. Faccio, M. Nart, and P. Simeone. 2004. “Seismic behavior of wood framed buildings in Cadore mountain Regioni–Italy.” In Proc., 13th World Conf. on Earthquake Engineering. Vancouver, Canada: Canadian Association for Earthquake Engineering, and International Association for Earthquake Engineering.
Cruz, H., J. P. Moura, and J. S. Machado. 2001. “The use of FRP in the strengthening of timber reinforced masonry load-bearing walls.” In Historical constructions, 847. Guimarães, Portugal: Universidade do Minho.
CSI (Computers and Structures). 2017. Structural analysis program (SAP2000)—Advanced, static and dynamic finite element analysis of structures. Berkeley, CA: CSI.
Dogangun, A., O. I. Tuluk, R. Livaoglu, and R. Acar. 2006. “Traditional wooden buildings and their damages during earthquakes in Turkey.” Eng. Fail. Anal. 13 (6): 981–996.
Gülkan, P., and R. Langenbach. 2004. “The earthquake resistance of traditional timber and masonry dwellings in Turkey.” In Proc., 13th World Conf. on Earthquake Engineering. Vancouver, Canada: Canadian Association for Earthquake Engineering, and International Association for Earthquake Engineering.
ISO. 2010. Timber structures—Static and cyclic lateral load test method for shear walls. ISO 21581. Geneva: ISO.
Jain, S. K. 2016. “Earthquake safety in India: Achievements, challenges, and opportunities.” Bull Earthquake Eng. 14 (5): 1337–1436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-016-9870-2.
Kaushik, H. B., and K. S. R. Babu. 2009. Housing report Assam-type house. Oakland, CA: Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.
Kaushik, H. B., and K. Dasgupta. 2013. “Assessment of seismic vulnerability of structures in Sikkim, India, based on damage observation during two recent earthquakes.” J. Perform. Constr. Facil. 27 (6): 697–720. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000380.
Kaushik, H. B., K. Dasgupta, D. R. Sahoo, and G. Kharel. 2006. “Performance of structures during the Sikkim earthquake of 14 February 2006.” Curr. Sci. 91 (4): 449–455.
Kaushik, H. B., and S. K. Jain. 2007. “Impact of great December 26, 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami on structures in Port Blair.” J. Perform. Constr. Facil. 21 (2): 128–142. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0887-3828(2007)21:2(128).
Kaushik, H. B., D. C. Rai, and S. K. Jain. 2008. “A rational approach to analytical modeling of masonry infills in reinforced concrete frame buildings.” In Proc., 14th World Conf. on Earthquake Engineering. Beijing: Chinese Association of Earthquake Engineering, and International Association for Earthquake Engineering.
Kaushik, H. B., D. C. Rai, and S. K. Jain. 2009. “Effectiveness of some strengthening options for masonry-infilled RC frames with open first story.” J. Struct. Eng. 135 (8): 925–937. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(2009)135:8(925).
Komatsu, K., A. Kitamori, K. Jung, and T. Mori. 2009. “Estimation of the mechanical properties of mud shear walls subjecting to lateral shear force.” In Proc., 11th Int. Conf. on Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies. Bath, UK: BRE Centre in Innovative Construction Materials.
Kouris, L. A. S., and A. J. Kappos. 2012. “Detailed and simplified non-linear models for timber-framed masonry structures.” J. Cult. Heritage 13 (1): 47–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2011.05.009.
Kouris, L. A. S., H. Meireles, R. Bento, and A. J. Kappos. 2014. “Simple and complex modelling of timber-framed masonry walls in pombalino buildings.” Bull. Earthquake Eng. 12 (4): 1777–1803. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-014-9586-0.
Langenbach, R. 2007. “From ‘opus craticium’ to the ‘Chicago frame’: Earthquake-resistant traditional construction.” Int. J. Archit. Heritage 1 (1): 29–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583050601125998.
Malone, B. P., T. H. Miller, and R. Gupta. 2014. “Gravity and wind load path analysis of a light-frame and a traditional timber frame building.” J. Archit. Eng. 20 (4): B4013001. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000136.
Martin, K. G., R. Gupta, D. O. Prevatt, P. L. Datin, and J. W. van de Lindt. 2011. “Modeling system effects and structural load paths in a wood-framed structure.” J. Arch. Eng. 17 (4): 134–143.
Meireles, H., R. Bento, S. Cattari, and S. Lagomarsino. 2012. “A hysteretic model for frontal walls in pombalino buildings.” Bull. Earthquake Eng. 10 (5): 1481–1502. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-012-9360-0.
Pfretzschner, K. S., R. Gupta, and T. H. Miller. 2014. “Practical modeling for wind load paths in a realistic light-frame wood house.” J. Perform. Constr. Facil. 28 (3): 430–439. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000448.
Poletti, E. 2013. “Characterization of the seismic behaviour of traditional timber frame walls.” Ph.D. thesis, Engenharia Civil, Univ. of Minho.
Poletti, E., and G. Vasconcelos. 2015. “Seismic behaviour of traditional timber frame walls: Experimental results on unreinforced walls.” Bull. Earthquake Eng. 13 (3): 885–916. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-014-9650-9.
Quinn, N., D. D’Ayala, and T. Descamps. 2016. “Structural characterization and numerical modelling of historic quincha walls.” Int. J. Archit. Heritage 10 (2–3): 300–331.
Rai, D. C., and C. V. R. Murty. 2005. Preliminary report on the 2005 North Kashmir earthquake of October 8, 2005. Kanpur, UP: National Information Centre on Earthquake Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India.
Stellacci, S., V. Rato, E. Poletti, G. Vasconcelos, and G. Borsoi. 2018. “Multi-criteria analysis of rehabilitation techniques for traditional timber frame walls in pombalino buildings (Lisbon).” J. Build. Eng. 16 (Mar): 184–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2018.01.001.
Vasconcelos, G., E. Poletti, E. Salavessa, A. M. P. Jesus, P. B. Lourenço, and P. Pilaon. 2013. “In-plane shear behavior of traditional timber walls.” Eng. Struct. 56 (Nov): 1028–1048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2013.05.017.
Vieux-Champagne, F., Y. Sieffert, S. Grange, A. Polastri, A. Ceccotti, and L. Daudeville. 2014. “Experimental analysis of seismic resistance of timber-framed structures with stones and earth infill.” Eng. Struct. 69 (Jun): 102–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2014.02.020.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 145 • Issue 8 • August 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 21, 2018
Accepted: Dec 20, 2018
Published online: May 22, 2019
Published in print: Aug 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Oct 22, 2019
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.