Search

Analytical and experimental research for determining the seismic vulnerability of ferrocement houses, which is a low-cost system using precast thin panels, is presented. The research comprises the following tasks: (a) a field survey on the ferrocement dwelling houses actually built in seismic regions in Colombia; (b) a cyclic load test on 1:1 scale models; (c) identification of the parameters of the Bouc-Wen hysteretic model for the observed panel behaviour; and (d) Monte Carlo simulations of models intended to estimate the fragility curves of the houses. Despite the models exhibiting stiffness degradation, it was concluded that the system is adequate for regions of moderate to high seismicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shortage of dwelling in the world has taken for several years to the search of new materials and alternative systems for its construction. For more than 25 decades, ferro-cement has been studied and applied as a dwelling solution in several countries, among them Colombia.. This article refers to the results of a research about seismic behavior of ferro-cement dwellings. Two modules built on real scale with prefabricated panels of ferro-cement thin wall were used. On each module of ferro-cement, tests of cyclical load were carried out, and its behavior was evaluated. The obtained results showed the sensitivity of this structural system under several cycles of load, with losses of rigidity near to 20% for the first cycles and up to 85% at the end of the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]