Seismic Resistance Evaluation of Traditional Ottoman Timber-Frame Himis Houses: Frame Loadings and Material Tests

Traditional Ottoman timber-frame houses ("himis") form the major part of the cultural heritage structures in Turkey. There are many studies in the literature regarding the seismic performance of himis houses, which claim that these structures have an inherent seismically resistant property. However, these studies lack a quantitative engineering approach and are based on observations made after contemporary earthquakes. This study presents the results of the seismic resistance evaluation of traditional Ottoman houses, made by means of reverse cyclic frame tests conducted on six yellow pine and two fir frames with and without infill (brick and adobe) or cladding (bagdadi and samdolma). The experimental study, which was intended to differentiate the effects of infill materials, frame geometry, and timber type, has revealed that frames with bagdadi cladding and adobe infill resulted in the best and worst structural performances, respectively, while high ductility and good energy dissipation capacity characteristics were determined.