Kaori Fujita

On-Site Lateral Loading Test of a Traditional Timber House in Japan

This paper presents the results of a static lateral loading test performed on a traditional timber farmhouse in Japan. The aim of this research is to clarify the horizontal load carrying capacity and the failure mode of this type of house by full-scale experiment. The house is situated in Yamaguchi prefecture, which is in the southwestern part of Japan, and was built in the late 18th century. The experiment was performed by placing static loading equipment within the house, and placing two reaction supporting systems outside the house. A lateral cyclic loading test was carried out and the maximum lateral load and the failure mode were determined. Static analysis using a theoretical mud wall model was also performed. The results of this analysis are discussed in comparison with those of the experiment.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF A TIMBER MAIN HALL OF A TEMPLE BEFORE AND AFTER BASE-ISOLATED RETROFIT

It is well known that timber buildings often suffer damages under maximum earthquakes and some problems of existing non-conformity buildings in Japan have to be solved. In this paper, we choose a certain temple in Tokyo, for which a base-isolated retrofit is constructed, to reveal its own structural properties. We make seismic diagnoses including limit strength calculations. We also conduct micro-tremor measurements and earthquake response analyses.