Are The Mud Brick Structures Very Weak Against Earthquake? What Are The Advantages and Disadvantaged of Them?

The most of the mud brick buildings were partially or fully damaged at the earthquake in Elazig/Turkey on March 8, 2010 and 41 people die. Questions were rose after this earthquake by the public; why these structures were destroyed? Are the mud brick structures very weak against earthquake? Satisfy answers have to be found for these equations. Although the application of this construction material has commonly used, advantages, disadvantages and strengthening techniques of the mud bricks are still concern to be explored. After earthquake at the rural area of Bingol, It was observed that main damages and casualties were caused by heavy stones used at mud brick constructions. The earthquake damaged could be minimized by using fiber reinforced mud bricks instead of the heavy stones. In this study, advantages, disadvantages and mechanical properties of mud bricks were investigated. Fiber plastic and textile fibers were used as strengthening material while pumice, lime and cement were used as binding agent for the mud brick used in this study. It was found that usage of the fiber reinforced mud bricks has advantages of energy saving, cost-effective and better mechanical properties. Key Words: Earthquake, Mud Brick Buildings, Fiber, Strength