Dr. P Pravin Kumar Venkat Rao, and his research collaborators Dr. Mitesh Surana and Dr. Aditya Singh Rajput, IIT Ropar published their latest research on Seismic Behaviour of Timber-Reinforced Masonry Housing Typologies in the Himalayan Region: A State-of-the-Art Survey in the Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering  (IJST-CE). 

This work explores the field survey and literature review on ‘Traditional Building Systems’ most prevalent in the northern and north-eastern regions of India. The study covers the architectural, structural, and earthquake-resilient features (i.e., wood-bands) of the time-tested technologies or systems. The study also highlights that for these buildings, age is proof that they are still surviving and standing tall even when subjected to major earthquakes in the past. 

Here is the summary of their research work as explained by the authors:

In the Himalayan region, traditional buildings made of masonry have existed for centuries and still make up a sizable portion of the building stock. Many of these buildings have proven records of earthquake resilience. At the same time, the primary cause of fatalities from previous earthquakes is the increasing collapse of unreinforced masonry structures. In various Himalayan locations, local seismic culture has evolved over the past few centuries to improve the seismic capacity of stone constructions. These areas use wood or other materials with high tensile strength to reinforce their stone masonry. The post-earthquake reconnaissance surveys clearly demonstrate the superior performance of these timber-reinforced masonry constructions. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of scientific investigation, either through numerical modelling or laboratory-based studies, on the behaviour and mechanism of these structures. Furthermore, there are no explicit criteria for evaluating timber-reinforced masonry in the present Indian seismic code. This study examines several distinct traditional masonry building typologies found in the Himalayas, such as ‘Thathara’, ‘Kath-Kuni’ or ‘Koti-Banal’, ‘Newari’, ‘Dhajji Dewari’, ‘Ikra’ or ‘Assam-Type House’, ‘Bhatar’ or ‘Taq’, and ‘Dry-stone buildings’. For the majority of these typologies, aside from Dry-stone houses, the masonry walls have embedded horizontal timber bands or lacings that enhance box behaviour, thereby preventing premature failure. Through a thorough analysis of timber-reinforced masonry, including architectural details, earthquake-resilient & vulnerable features, and experimental and numerical investigations, the article presents a unique addition to our understanding of seismic performance and how it might best protect the Himalayan region’s traditional heritage. Additionally, the current study contributes to a better understanding of how wood elements give masonry structures greater seismic resilience. This understanding will help with several initiatives: (i) better conservation, preservation, and maintenance of traditional or heritage structures; (ii) seismic codes/standards providing details regarding the assessment of timber-reinforced structures; (iii) supporting and encouraging practitioners to design and build using techniques that have demonstrated superior performance, and (iv) as attempts to lessen the impact of building on our environment increases, provide a way to make safer structures utilizing low-carbon materials.

Full-Text Read: https://rdcu.be/d7JOC

Website Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-024-01722-0

ResearchGate Link: https://shorturl.at/JgqfK

January 2025