Investigation of a damaged historical mosque with finite element analysis


Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Mühendislik Fakültesi, İnşaat Mühendisliği Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2011

Öğrenci: GÜLSÜM ÇAĞIL KÖSEOĞLU

Danışman: ERDEM CANBAY

Özet:

Historic structures form a very important part of our cultural heritage and should be well protected. Therefore, full comprehension of the structural behavior of historic structures is of prior importance. A seriously damaged single domed mosque of 16th century Classical Ottoman Architecture was investigated in this study. Serious damages have been observed at various structural elements including the dome and the structural masonry walls, recently leading the structure's closure to service. The main objective of this study is to find out the possible reasons of the damage. The Mosque was constructed on silty-clay soil and the water table has been changed considerably due to the drought in recent years causing soil displacements. The structure is modeled with linear finite element approach. The masonry walls are modeled with homogenized macro shell elements. The change in water table is imposed on the Mosque as displacement at foundation joints. The results of the analyses have been compared with the observed damage and the finite element model has been calibrated according to the observed damage. Some rehabilitation methods have also been proposed. Mini pile application up to firm soil (rock) was recommended to prevent the soil displacement. A steel ring around the damaged dome base was proposed to avoid any further propagation of cracks. Furthermore, the cracks on the masonry walls should also be repaired with a suitable material that is also compatible with the historic texture.