Documentation, structural health monitoring and numerical modelling for damage assessment of the Morris Island Lighthouse

Heritage structures serve as invaluable records of cultural achievement that should be preserved for future generations. To ensure the successful preservation of these structures, there must be an affordable and effective way to conduct conservation. The objective of this work is to outline an efficient workflow for the structural analysis of preservation projects through a case study on the Morris Island Lighthouse in Charleston, South Carolina. Thorough documentation of the cultural significance and structural condition of the lighthouse was completed through archival research, photogrammetry and crack mapping. Structural Health Monitoring and Distinct Element Modelling were used to analyse past structural damage and the present condition. The behaviour of masonry and crack propagation was evaluated under gravity, wind, wave and seismic loading. The results of these analyses were summarized in a virtual tour and informational modelling environment, which allows the results to be accessed and associated with their physical location on the structure. The benefits and limitations of this process are discussed, and a standardized workflow for efficient structural analysis of cultural heritage is proposed. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Environmental loading of heritage structures’.

[1]  B. Glisic,et al.  Methodology for diagnosing crack patterns in masonry structures using photogrammetry and distinct element modeling , 2019, Engineering Structures.

[2]  B. Glisic,et al.  Integrating Non-Destructive Testing, Laser Scanning, and Numerical Modeling for Damage Assessment: The Room of the Elements , 2019, Heritage.

[3]  B. Glisic,et al.  Numerical Modeling of Crack Propagation in Masonry Structures , 2019, RILEM Bookseries.

[4]  D. D’Ayala,et al.  INVITED: Rock mounted iconic lighthouses under extreme wave impacts: Limit Analysis and Discrete Element Method , 2018 .

[5]  Branko Glisic,et al.  Virtual Environments for Visualizing Structural Health Monitoring Sensor Networks, Data, and Metadata , 2018, Sensors.

[6]  Tim L Michiels,et al.  Form finding of arches and shell structures subjected to seismic loading , 2018 .

[7]  Branko Glisic,et al.  Minimizing the adverse effects of bias and low repeatability precision in photogrammetry software through statistical analysis , 2017 .

[8]  Branko Glisic,et al.  Virtual tours and informational modeling for conservation of cultural heritage sites , 2017 .

[9]  Branko Glisic,et al.  VIRTUAL TOUR ENVIRONMENT OF CUBA’S NATIONAL SCHOOL OF ART , 2017 .

[10]  M. Santana Quintero,et al.  DIGITAL RECORDING AND NON-DESTRUCTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE FOR REHABILITATING HISTORIC STRUCTURES AT THE KATHMANDU VALLEY AFTER GORKHA EARTHQUAKE 2015 , 2017 .

[11]  Alison Raby,et al.  Modelling the Eddystone Lighthouse response to wave loading , 2016 .

[12]  Alison Raby,et al.  Wave loading on rock lighthouses , 2016 .

[13]  Robin Letellier,et al.  Recording, Documentation and Information Management for the Conservation of Heritage Places , 2015 .

[14]  Gian Piero Lignola,et al.  Influence of Short Segments in the Trabeation With Opposing Inclined Edges on the Seismic Vulnerability of the Marble Blocks Colonnade in the Archaeological Site of Pompeii , 2015 .

[15]  Amin Mohebkhah,et al.  Numerical Modeling of Historic Masonry Structures , 2015 .

[16]  Panagiotis G. Asteris,et al.  Seismic vulnerability of ancient colonnade: Two story colonnade of the forum in Pompeii , 2015 .

[17]  Carmelo Gentile,et al.  Post-earthquake continuous dynamic monitoring of the Gabbia Tower in Mantua, Italy , 2015 .

[18]  Matthew J. DeJong,et al.  Seismic response of stone masonry spires: Computational and experimental modeling , 2012 .

[19]  Bartolomeo Pantò,et al.  A new discrete element model for the evaluation of the seismic behaviour of unreinforced masonry buildings , 2012 .

[20]  Petros Patias,et al.  Introduction to Heritage Documentation , 2011 .

[21]  Amy L. Murphy,et al.  Wireless sensor networks for permanent health monitoring of historic buildings , 2010 .

[22]  Miguel Cervera,et al.  Structural Analysis of Masonry Historical Constructions. Classical and Advanced Approaches , 2010 .

[23]  Paulo B. Lourenço,et al.  Numerical models for the seismic assessment of an old masonry tower , 2010 .

[24]  Donald O. Dusenberry,et al.  Monitoring and Repair of the Milwaukee City Hall Masonry Tower , 2008 .

[25]  Daniele Zonta,et al.  Real-time probabilistic health monitoring of the Portogruaro civic tower , 2008 .

[26]  Branko Glisic,et al.  Introduction to Structural Health Monitoring , 2007 .

[27]  José V. Lemos,et al.  Discrete Element Modeling of Masonry Structures , 2007 .

[28]  José V. Lemos,et al.  Numerical study of the seismic behaviour of a part of the Parthenon Pronaos , 2003 .

[29]  A. Saisi,et al.  Non destructive testing applied to historic buildings: The case of some Sicilian Churches , 2003 .

[30]  I. Psycharis,et al.  COLLAPSE MECHANISMS OF MASONRY BUILDINGS DERIVED BY THE DISTINCT ELEMENT METHOD , 2002 .

[31]  Gianni Bartoli,et al.  Monitoring Systems on Historic Buildings: The Brunelleschi Dome , 1996 .

[32]  P. A. Cundall,et al.  NUMERICAL MODELLING OF DISCONTINUA , 1992 .

[33]  P. Cundall,et al.  FORMULATION OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL DISTINCT ELEMENT MODEL - PART II. MECHANICAL CALCULATIONS FOR MOTION AND INTERACTION OF A SYSTEM COMPOSED OF MANY POLYHEDRAL BLOCKS , 1988 .

[34]  R. Herrmann,et al.  The 1886 Charleston, South Carolina, earthquake; a 1986 perspective , 1986 .