Case study of an aged paper tube structure

Abstract

The paper tube structure was installed on a rectangular area of 10 m x 15 m and covered with polycarbonate panels built on September 17, 1995 to serve as a temporary building for the Takatori Catholic Church in Japan. The interior of the church adopts an oval design, which is based on the church designed by Bernini in the 17th century in Italy. It is made of 58 paper tubes with a diameter of 330 mm. The wall is 15mm thick and 5m high. A case study was conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of aged paper tube structure used over 10 years in Japan. These experimental tests include compressive strength, axial tensile test, tensile elongation test, flat crush compressive test, hardness test, and bending strength test for the elastic modulus. These test results indicate that the difference of hardness values and elastic modulus for new and old tube structure in Shigeru Ban projects is less than 5%; it is telling that old paper tube is still available for loading. The fact is that the aged paper tube structure has endured over 25 years of service in Japan and Taiwan environments. The expected lifetime of the paper tube structure affected by the environmental impact estimated at ten to twenty years. Therefore, the paper Dome maybe still be required for conducting a preliminary inspection and maintains public safety in the further.