Seismic Performance of Historical Masonry Structures Reinforced with FRP Exposed to Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes (Mw 7.7 and 7.6) on February 6, 2023

Abstract

Historical structures are important cultural elements that give commu-nities a sense of belonging to their places. Türkiye has a rich cultural infrastruc-ture due to its geographical location. Unfortunately, this geography is also in a region with significant fault lines. Earthquakes of various sizes at specific inter-vals in the area cause damage and collapse of historic structures. The earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, affected eleven provinces of Türkiye and caused significant damage. This study compared the structural con-ditions of selected historical masonry buildings before and after the earthquakes. Sample structures were chosen according to their reinforcement method. The structures were reinforced with FRP and selected to assess the efficiency of the FRP-strengthening intervention. For the case study, the minaret of the Ulu Mosque in the Battalgazi district of Malatya province, the vault structure of the Selahaddin Eyyubi Mosque in Şanlıurfa, and the dome of the Kilis Tekke Mosque were exam-ined. The reinforcement project information that the structures had undergone before the earthquake was obtained from reports, drawings, and interviews with professionals who had worked on these restorations. The status of the structures after the earthquake was determined from on-site examinations of the structures and structural system evaluation reports. The results show that ruptures and separa-tions were observed in the FRP applications on the structures after the earthquakes. Despite the damages seen in the material, FRP applications prevented the collapse of these three structures. The results obtained are aimed to constitute a reference for future masonry structure reinforcement project applications of FRP m aterial.