Experimental and numerical analysis of out-of-plane behaviour of historical dry-joint stone walls: insights from a scaled laboratory wall model of the Coricancha temple, Peru

Lipa L.; Tarque N.; Goicolea J.M.; Santa-Cruz S.; Quispe L.; Pillaca E.; Pelà L. · Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering (2026) · DOI: 10.1007/s10518-026-02710-7

Resumen

Numerous dry-joint stone walls worldwide represent important historical and cultural heritage. These walls are particularly susceptible to out-of-plane loads, such as those due to seismic activity, which can lead to overturning failure. One way to evaluate these structures is to use numerical models, which must be validated with experimental data to ensure accuracy. For this reason, this research introduces a novel approach to evaluate the structural response of dry-joint stone construction, which uses rigid body numerical modelling, validated through experimental analysis of replicas that closely reproduce the properties of heritage structures. For this purpose, a reproduction of a dry-jointed stone wall of the Coricancha Temple in Cusco, Peru, was tested in order to validate the numerical models of the structure based on the finite element method and rigid-body mechanics. Three 1:2-scale concrete block walls were constructed on a tilting table. These walls were built with characteristics very similar to those of the original heritage structure and then tested under an out-of-plane overturning setup. The experimental tests provided key data, including pre-collapse drifts, collapse mechanisms, and collapse angles. The numerical simulations accurately predicted the collapse angles, replicated the experimentally observed failure patterns, and reproduced the average drift at various inclination angles. The close agreement between the numerical and experimental data validates the numerical models, demonstrating their accuracy in simulating the structural response of dry-joint stone historical walls. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2026.

Instituciones: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú; Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola