Strengthening of structures damaged by the Azores earthquake of 1998

This paper addresses repair and strengthening techniques proposed for the rehabilitation of small buildings on Faial Island, Azores, hit and damaged by the Azores earthquake on 9 July 1998. A brief description is provided of the construction type and practice in the island, highlighting the main type of houses. Due to the lack of relevant information concerning construction material data, experimental tests were performed in situ, involving static and dynamic measurements. The experimental campaign is addressed and the main results are highlighted. These results served as input data for numerical seismic analysis of a number of house structures, which provided validation support for the design of strengthening strategies. Two of such analysis is presented herein. The basic aspects of the proposed strengthening techniques are briefly presented and discussed, focusing on their practical application.