Evaluation of seismic performance of rammed earth building and improvement solutions

The present study evaluates the performances of a rammed earth (RE) structure under seismic loading and its reinforcement by using finite element simulations. First, the pertinence of the numerical model was evaluated through the simulation of an experimental test conducted on a 0.5-scale house and presented in the literature. A full 3D model, based on solid elements, and a 3D surface model based on shell elements were conducted. The effects of interface stiffness on the natural frequencies and on the non-linear dynamic behavior were examined. It was found that the interfaces played an important role to well reproduce the experimental results. Reinforcement techniques, such as horizontal reinforced concrete belt beam at the top or/and the middle height, and the internal reinforced concrete columns were also simulated and their benefits under seismic loading were conducted. The results obtained showed that these reinforcements enhanced the seismic capacity of RE house. The Rayleigh damping, which has been rarely addressed in the rammed earth structures, was also investigated.