Seismic strengthening and repair of typical stone masonry historical buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina is situated in seismic active region of South-East Europe, divided in seismic zones with peak ground acceleration of 0.1–0.2 g for 500 years return period, even PGA of 0.30-0.35 g in some parts. Traditional art of building comprises masonry structures. Most historical buildings belonging to the national cultural heritage were made of stone-masonry with robust and enduring structure. In the case of stronger earthquake motion such buildings could suffer substantial or heavy damages. Some structural elements of historical buildings, as domes and arches, crack already by moderate earthquake but without the loss of stability. Stone-masonry buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be classified in vulnerability classes B and C according to European Macro-seismic Scale, where A stands for the weakest seismic structures and F for those expected to have best seismic performance. Design and construction procedures for rehabilitation are presented here on examples of repair and strengthening of mosques situated in three different seismic regions. These mosques are historical stone masonry structures dating from the Ottoman period in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Traditional and contemporary materials were used for their rehabilitation. The challenge for structural engineers was to find equilibrium between aesthetical and structural demands considering seismic codes as well.