Seismic Assessment of the Archangeloi (Başmelekler) Church in Kumyaka, Türkiye

This study describes the seismic assessment of the Archangeloi (Başmelekler) Church in Kumyaka (Sige), Türkiye. The Archangeloi Church is an important religious monument that has survived to the present day from the eighth century. Through field surveys, the structural system, damages and masonry texture were determined. Pushover analysis was performed with OpenSees software, which has an advanced nonlinear analysis capability. The Damage TC3D material damage model with advanced features was used, allowing a more stable and effective application of mixed implicit–explicit analyses. Displacement-based pushover analyses were performed with different control points, and the damage patterns, ultimate strength and strength reductions were obtained effectively. The pushover analysis reflected the structure’s expected behavior, especially its post-ultimate strength and failure patterns, owing to the material damage model’s advanced mixed implicit–explicit capacity. Kinematic analyses were performed to determine the overturning mechanisms. Due to the analysis assumptions and pre-assigned failure mechanisms, lower failure multipliers were obtained with the kinematic analysis than with the pushover analysis. Under seismic loading, the structure did not satisfy the required performance targets. Extensive damage occurred throughout the structure, even at the lowest performance levels. The selected modeling/analysis method and material damage model to determine this church’s structural performance reflect the expected structural behavior.

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