Seismic performance of masonry buildings during the 2007 Bala, Turkey earthquakes

A field investigation was conducted near the town of Bala after two strong earthquakes struck the region on December 20 and 27, 2007. The main objectives of this study are to present the results of the field investigation and examine the characteristics of the recorded ground motions and the corresponding response spectra. The focus of the research was on the causes of damage and failures commonly observed in masonry structures. This study classifies single family masonry dwellings in rural areas and investigates the seismic damage in unreinforced masonry structures. Turkish Earthquake Code requirements for masonry buildings are summarized and compared with the field observations. Our field investigation showed that there has been lack of quality control and regulation for the masonry construction. Diagonal shear cracking and out-of-plane failure were the two major factors that contributed to widespread damage in masonry structures.