Seismic Vulnerability of Rural Masonry Buildings after 2019 Acipayam Earthquake, Denizli, Turkey

Turkey is an earthquake-prone country, and moderate earthquakes hit Acipayam town of Denizli city, located in the western part of Turkey on March 20, 2019 (Mw-5.5). The region is seismically active and, in the past, several earthquakes based on historical archives hit the same region, and some recent modern recordings are available. The March 20 earthquake caused significant damage in the villages of Acipayam, Denizli, where the majority of buildings are masonry buildings, while, the typical building type is cut-stone, adobe and brick masonry-type buildings. The existing buildings suffered damages due to poor building material quality, inadequate design, and detailing. Connection of floor slabs to façade walls are poorly implemented, where in-plane and out-of-plane failures are observed very commonly. Another primary reason for the damage is the poor mortar quality used between masonry units, which lead to masonry walls damages again under in-plane and out-of-plane effects. The most recent Turkish Seismic Code dated 2018, includes a comprehensive chapter on masonry buildings. The general damage observations from Acipayam Earthquake evaluated according to the requirements given in the code and with the lessons taken from past earthquakes, as well.