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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
When simulating the seismic events using the equivalent frames of the typical buildings, the
deformation suffered by the structure is obtained as a result for our study. This deformation, in turn,
was analyzed in relation to two types of materials: adobe and brick. The experiment focused on the
comparison of the damage of these materials in porches of different spans and floors. It was
possible to observe some differences between the resistance of both types of materials, although, in
general terms, they presented similar damage.
In the case of adobe masonry, a mean deformation of 0.3059% was found, with a standard deviation of
0.15871% and after running a total of 90 simulations. The measurements were made with a seismic
intensity of 5.5 degrees on the Richter scale, with a standard deviation of 0.8704 and using a Pearson
correlation of 0.994. As a summary, this represents an approximate one-toone relationship, i.e., a strong
correlation between the parameters compared. On the other hand, in the case of brick masonry, the mean
deformation was 0.2348% with a standard deviation of 0.13716% after running a total of 90 simulations.
The measurements were made with the same mean seismic intensity (5.5 degrees) and standard
deviation as for the adobe masonry (0.8704), using a Pearson correlation of 0.991. In this case there
was also an approximate one-to-one relationship and a strong correlation between the comparator
parameters, although slightly lower than in the adobe masonry.
Regarding the damage that seismic events could cause in a given group of structures, we can see that,
in the case of adobe, 32% of the buildings would collapse with an event of 5 to 6 degrees on the Richter
scale; while, with events of 6 to 7 degrees on the Richter scale, 100% of the buildings would
theoretically collapse (i.e., those considered in our sample). In the case of brick, we see that 13% of the
buildings would collapse with intensities of 5 to 6 degrees on the Richter scale, and, as with adobe,
100% of the theoretical number of buildings would collapse with intensities of 6 to 7 degrees on the
same scale. As we can see, these data show that, in general, the city of Cuenca is not yet sufficiently
prepared to face seismic events of medium to high magnitude.
The findings of this study highlight the significant seismic vulnerability of typical buildings in Cuenca,
Ecuador, reflecting an urgent need to integrate more robust mitigation strategies and to adapt
construction and urban planning practices. The comparison between adobe and brick materials, while