Structural utilization of wooden beams as anti-seismic and stabilising techniques in stone masonry in Qasr el-Bint, Petra, Jordan

Wood has clearly been used to strengthen stone ashlar buildings in the ancient monuments in Petra, Jordan. However, to date, no analysis has been made of how wood works from structural engineering point of view, especially during earthquakes. Wood was used in a form of flexible string-courses that held the brittle stone ashlars together. This study analyses how this technique increases the strength of buildings and to what extent it functions as an anti-seismic device. Conducting such study requires the multidisciplinary collaboration of scholars with knowledge of architecture, architectural history and structural engineering. The result of this analysis proved the role of the imbedded wooden beams as anti-seismic device in reducing the shear stress of the structure by up to 50%. Repairing and preserving these beams are to strengthen the structure against possible earthquakes. The simulation results showed that the monument under study; which is Qasr el-Bint, has survived moderate earthquakes because of these beams that functioned as anti-seismic devices, and can continue to do so if these beams are retrofitted and strengthened.