Ancient Seismic Design Of Structures

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  CIVILPRINCESS

  The Chaini Koti temple is a tower style temple. that the verandah all around extends beyond the walls to form a cantilevered structure. Even the staircase is cantilevered.
  
  Chaini Koti temple is a stone temple rising 26 metres at 2,200 metres above sea level Himachal lies in seismic zone 4 and 5, and the seven-storey Chaini Koti temple uses stone, wood and indigenous structural engineering to withstand the forces of nature. The main aspect of this structure is “the aesthetics of using local wood and stone without any cement plastering in this pristine backdrop.” Known as kath kunni, or wooden corners at right angles, this stone-and-timber technique delivers quake resistance comparable to modern construction science.
  
  The temples are also repositories of traditional knowledge and materials.
  The main aspects of this design is:
  

  • Deodar, wood of the gods found in the Himalayas, is insect and borer resistant; it can also take extremes of rain and snow. Its timber, which can bear lateral stress, is ingeniously crafted by traditional master masons. That’s why the nail-less and cement less towers have been holding out against ground tremors for 500 years.
  • Quake resistant houses should have tie-bands just above the level of the floor, the level of the doors and windows, and another at the roof level.
  • Corners are the most vulnerable and ought to be strengthened. Elasticity of the structure can be enhanced with flexible steel rods or wood batons at corners.
  • Doors and windows should be few, small and symmetrically placed away from the corners.
  • The house should be as light as possible.
  • it has a heavy base or plinth... which keeps the centre of gravity within the base.

  
  I’ll explain this deisgn by three of my hand drawn sketches which shows the position of the wooden frames more clearly.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This will be the joints that are used in the structure.
  Here there is no nail used. Only these lap joints and pin joints are provided. The wooden frame is built in a square shape and there is a frame for every specific interval. Thus these frames are built as a tower one above the another with some intervals. These spaces are then filled up with stones in perfect structure such that there is no need for any mortar or any other plastering. When an earthquake strikes there will be lateral displacement or rather lateral forces. These frames at regular interval take up these lateral forces .These lateral forces are being absorbed and distributed at each vibrating layer along the vertical length of the structure. Hence they reduce impact of force and minimize sway.
  
  This is the basic working principle here.
  
  
  
  This shows a perspective view of the wooden frames which are placed at regular intervals. these square frames are kept at specific intrevals and this picture shows the position of two such frames on above the other and the space for the stones is left free.
  
  
  
  This picture shows the elevation of the building from outside… this shows how the lateral forces sustained by the building is transferred through the wooden frames and dry stone masonry to the ground.
  To counter the seismic forces, the traditional structures usually stand on a high solid plinth, made up of dry dressed stone masonry. The huge mass serves as a dampener pad to the earthquake forces and the dry construction allows for vibration and hence faster dissipation of the energy.
  
  all this has allowed this structure to remain unharmed even in during the hard earthquakes.
  
  if CEans have more to put into the topic they are most wecolme... so are doubts...😁
  
  thanks,
  -CP
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  gohm

  Great discussion CP, I've actually been there.
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  CIVILPRINCESS

  wow!
  you've actually seen it:?:
  we could only see some pics in the net and some details provided by a professor from himachal pradesh, India😀 i've not yet been to the place😀
  nice😁