Open-air cyclic testing of a large-scale stone masonry specimen

The paper presents results of cyclic tests on a 1/5 scaled stone masonry specimen that was 60cm wide, 5m long and 5.2m high, built to represent classical Ottoman construction methods and materials. The frame is tested under vertical loads as well as lateral displacement reversals. The tests provide insights regarding the mechanisms that may develop when structures like the tested frame respond to lateral earthquake loads. Other key features of structural response, such as the deformation limits, residual deformations and lateral load capacity, have also been presented in the paper. In overall, the deformation limits of the tested frame, representing certain type of structures built in the Ottoman era, were higher than the expectations thanks to the rocking mechanism of the stones used as well as the metallic connectors embedded into the structures as part of the traditional construction technique. The inter-stone rocking mechanism actively controlled the response up to 1.5% top drift, up to the peak strength, while permanent damages on stone units affected the post-peak response up to 2.4% top drift.