Proof load of the masonry vault of the Schütz Chapel of the Dresden Royal Palace
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Project data
| Titel | Title Probebelastung des Mauerwerksgewölbes der Schütz-Kapelle im Dresdner Schloss | Proof load of the masonry vault of the Schütz Chapel of the Dresden Royal Palace Auftraggeber | Clients Staatsbetrieb Sächsisches Immobilien- und Baumanagement, Niederlassung Dresden Planungsbüro | Planning office Jens-Uwe Anwand, Dresden; Kröning – Ulbrich – Schröter, Dresden Gutachter | Assessor Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. i. R. Heinz Opitz, Dresden Zeitraum | Period 04.2013 – 06.2013 Leiter | Project Manager Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. i. R. Heinz Opitz, Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Popp Bearbeiter | Contributors Ludwig Beier, Tino Jänke, Heiko Wachtel, Bernd Wehner |
Report in the yearbook 2013
Rehearsal load of the contactor band
Loading frame and tie rods under the test yoke
The reconstruction of the Schützkapelle is one of the last major building projects in Dresden Castle. Here, among other things, a sling ribbed vault was built according to a historical model within three years.
In order to be able to make statements on production technology, craftsmanship and quality, a section of the vault was first erected as a test piece on a scale of 1:1. The load-bearing behavior of such a vault was to be determined experimentally on this test yoke in order to validate the structural analysis. Above all, the experimentally determined deformations were to be compared with those determined by calculation, and the stability was to be verified. The Otto Mohr Laboratory of the Technical University of Dresden was commissioned to carry out these load tests.
The load test was based on the DAfStb guideline "Load tests on concrete structures", which may also be applied analogously to other solid structures.
Area loads were used in the calculation of the vault. Such a load could not be realized mainly because of the very uneven surface due to the bulges and ribs. The alternative was to apply a total of 48 concentrated loads at sufficiently small intervals. These were transferred via 18 mm dia. Gewi round bars to the mezzanine built up under the vault. There, four concentrated loads each were combined via a beam system. Each of the twelve concentrated loads was controlled by a separate hydraulic cylinder coupled to an electrical load cell. The abutments of the hydraulic cylinders formed two steel load frames anchored to two reinforced concrete beams.
Five different load positions were implemented. Vertical and horizontal displacements and, at selected locations, the strains at the top and bottom of the vault were recorded with inductive displacement transducers attached to a separate measuring base.
The load tests provided sufficient evidence of the load-bearing capacity of the entire test yoke. In some cases, the deformations in the test were significantly lower than those from the calculation. The calculations and their basis show the structure to be on the safe side and thus provide evidence of a structure that is also safe according to today's regulations.