Research on 18th-Century Building Structures in Terms of Static Scheme Changes

Area of Science:

• Structural Engineering
• Heritage Conservation
• Building Diagnostics

Background:

• Evaluating the technical condition of historic buildings, especially those several centuries old, presents significant challenges.
• Many 18th-century structures lack original elements due to past renovations often performed with variable quality materials and methods.
• Material degradation, inadequate repairs, and loss of support in historic structures can alter load transfer paths and change the original static scheme.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of defects that cause changes in static schemes within 18th-century historical building structures.
• To demonstrate the assessment process for a historic building exhibiting numerous defects.
• To analyze the technical condition of a specific wooden roof truss structure that has partially lost its support.

Main Methods:

• Utilized non-destructive testing (NDT) methods for technical condition assessment.
• Conducted detailed computational analyses on the wooden roof truss structure.
• Examined defects affecting the static schemes of historical building structures.

Main Results:

• Identified various defects leading to altered static schemes in the studied 18th-century building.
• The assessment process highlighted the complexity of evaluating structures with a history of poor-quality repairs.
• Computational analysis provided insights into the behavior of the compromised wooden roof truss.

Conclusions:

• The study underscores the importance of thorough technical assessments for historic buildings.
• Understanding altered static schemes is crucial for effective repair and strengthening strategies.
• NDT and computational analysis are vital tools for diagnosing and preserving aging structures.