THE RISKS OF NONSTRUCTURAL BUILDING COMPONENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF EARTHQUAKE AND PEDESTRIANISED STREETS IN HISTORIC CITY CENTERS: ISTANBUL BEYOGLU CEZAYIR STREET CASE

In most of historical cities, some streets have been pedestrianised in order to facilitate pedestrian circulation. This situation affects functions of historical buildings and increases also pedestrian density of streets. Many historical cities in the world are threatened by earthquake. It is important to consider earthquake related disasters for the pedestrianization practices in historical cities. The historical urban centers, most of have masonry buildings, may not perform well enough to overcome the risks. Building structural system, construction date, number of storey, maintenance and repair conditions and physical changes due to functional changes are similar factors affecting the performance of the building earthquakes. Although buildings have performed sufficiently structurally against earthquakes, nonstructural components damages may occur. In case of earthquake, poor performance of nonstructural components may cause loss of function, economic losses and especially loss of life and injury. The nonstructural components of building such as parapet, roof, chimney, eave, canopy and windows are considered as risk factors that may cause injuries during earthquake. In this study, nonstructural building components that may occur possibility of injury are discussed and brought forward proposals for pedestrianised streets safety located in Cezayir Street, Istanbul. The main factors affecting the choice of Cezayir Street are; its close location to the most important cultural center of Istanbul; Istiklal Avenue, being a renovated area and the intensive street usage. The nonstructural building components of historical building in the Cezayir Street were evaluated using data obtained on-site observation of building façade as parapets, ornaments, eaves, chimneys, windows and canopies. According to the research result, it can be said that the façade glazing which is located at mostly additional flats on the buildings may lead to risk during earthquake.

Utilization of Brine Sludge in Nonstructural Building Components: A Sustainable Approach

The characterization and influence of brine sludge on the properties of cement-fly ash-sludge binders are presented. The reaction products formed during the hydration of binder provide an interlocking framework to physically encapsulate the waste particles and are responsible for the development of strength. The utilization of brine sludge in making paver blocks and bricks and the effect of sludge concentration on the engineering properties of these products are also discussed. These results clearly exhibited that brine sludge up to 35 and 25% can safely be utilized for making paver blocks and bricks, respectively. The leachability studies confirm that the metals ions and impurities in the sludge are substantially fixed in the matrix and do not readily leach from there. The utilization of brine sludge in construction materials could serve as an alternative solution to disposal and reduce pollution.

Shake table testing of bookcase – partition wall systems

This paper describes the seismic (shake table) tests conducted on bookcase – partition wall systems. These nonstructural building components can be considered acceleration sensitive (or motion sensitive) rather than drift sensitive. The shake table floor motions used for the seismic testing are described in a companion paper. One bookcase fully loaded with books and two different cantilevered partition wall systems were considered in the shake table tests. Nine different configurations of these free-standing nonstructural building components were tested. For each configuration, three different seismic hazard levels were considered for the motions at the second floor level of a six-storey building designed for two different densely populated Canadian cities (Montréal and Vancouver). A total of 485 shake table tests were conducted in this experimental investigation. The experimental results indicated that pounding between unanchored bookcases and partition walls is very beneficial to the dynamic response of the bookcases, as it prevents resonance from occurring. Also, the seismic performance of bookcases improved dramatically by the proper installation of seismic restraint systems. Experimental fragility curves for overturning of tall bookcases are presented.Key words: bookcases, earthquakes, fragility, interior partition walls, nonstructural, operational and functional components, pounding, seismic restraints, shake table.