Publication

Seismic analysis of the old town buildings in “Baixa Pombalina” – Lisbon, Portugal

Author
Luis F. Ramos (Research Assistant, University of Minho, Portugal) Paulo B. Lourenço (Assoc. Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Portugal)

This paper presents a set of numeric analyses regarding a compound of buildings from the XVIII center in downtown Lisbon, Portugal. The finite element method was adopted for the analyses, introducing non-linear behavior of the materials. The “Pombaline” downtown buildings, made with a composite wood-masonry structure, were built after the 1755 earthquake that destroyed the city to a great extent. Here, the following issues are addressed:(a) a historical survey, where the type of Pombaline construction was investigated; (b) an inspection of the actual condition of the selected compound; (c) a preliminary study of an isolated building; and (d) a final study with the complete building compound. This final study allowed an assessment of the safety of this type of buildings against seismic loading.

Share this article!

Request a publication

Share this article!