With a newly developed method, the mechanical condition of antique buildings can be determined quickly and easily. This is a computer model of the cistern of the Ayatekla Basilica. Image: Lehrstuhl für Computation in Engineering / TUM
From mobile phone photo to static calculations - Cracks in the ankles of Michelangelo's David statue, damaged columns in the cistern of the Hagia Tekla Basilica: Are these ancient structures in danger of collapsing? Researchers at Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a new process that makes it possible to assess the mechanical condition of structures based on photographs. In the 1960s a column of the Hagia Tekla Basilica cistern in Turkey collapsed and had to be replaced with a concrete pillar. Other columns of the ancient structure have suffered over time as well. In order to assess the danger of their collapsing experts have to know which forces are acting within the structure. But how can this be done in a non-intrusive manner? "Engineering practice very often employs the Finite Element method for calculating a structure's stress state," explains Dr. Stefan Kollmannsberger of the TUM Chair for Computation in Engineering. "For example, before a bridge is built, engineers have to know whether or not the planned structure will be able to withstand the load resulting from road traffic. Engineers need proof that both the expected deformations and the stress placed on the material are within defined threshold values." The complex geometries involved make it impossible to directly calculate the physical behavior of the entire structure as a whole.
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