Feb 17, 2025
Interdisciplinary research for the preservation of wooden cultural assets
The replicas of a historical Cranach painting were also examined together, which may be damaged in validation experiments.
An interdisciplinary research project at the Faculty of Civil Engineering combines engineering methods with the restoration and conservation of valuable cultural assets made of wood. In order to deepen cooperation in this field, the renowned cultural heritage research group from the Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków, led by Prof. Łukasz Bratasz, has now visited the Institute of Structural Analysis.
The focus of the joint research work is on panel paintings and other works of art made from a complex mix of materials, which, like buildings and components, are subject to structural physics issues. These works of art are made of natural materials that react sensitively to climate change, which can lead to irreversible damage.
In order to be able to make precise forecasts and recommendations for action to preserve the works of art, the scientists simulate the ageing process using digital models. Possible damage mechanisms and the structural behavior under climate change are to be analyzed in order to be able to prevent the spread of further damage with the help of realistic modeling. The fact that both the material behavior and the stress history of unique historical objects are often unknown is a challenge. The climatic history in particular plays a decisive role in the structural behavior of the artworks.
Die Kunstwerke stehen im Mittelpunkt. Forscherinnen und Forscher der Polnischen Akademie der Wissenschaften Kraków zu Besuch beim Institut für Statik und Dynamik der Tragwerke (v.l.n.r.: Łukasz Bratasz, Niklas Schietzold, Marcin Strojecki, Daniel Konopka, Marcin Bury, Michael Kaliske, Sergii Antropov, Sonia Bujok, Magdalena Soboń und Robert Fleischhauer)
The common goal of the scientists is the sustainable and preventative conservation of these unique cultural assets. Scientists at the Institute of Structural Analysis (ISD) have been working on various research projects involving the use of digital tools to preserve valuable cultural assets through simulation for some time now. For example, the VIRTEX project, a collaboration with the Institute für Holztechnologie Dresden and the Hochschule für Bildende Künste (HFBK Dresden), was launched in 2019.
Wie kann man wertvolle Kunstwerke vor dem Altern schützen? Mit Numerischer Strukturanalyse nähern sich die Bauingenieure der TU Dresden dem Thema. © André Terpe
Contact:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Michael Kaliske,
+49351 463 34386
Contributions to this topic:
VirtEx grant notification from 19.06.2019
VirtEx-summerschool from 13.10.2021
Website of the institute:
www.tu-dresden.de/isd