Unconscious decisions causing a failure condition of the 19th century brick ceiling

Dariusz Bajno,Agnieszka Grzybowska,Rafał Tews,D Beben,Z Perkowski,A Rak

doi:10.1051/matecconf/201817403014

Abstract

The article describes a hazard caused by deformation of a brick vault located under the dungeons of the gate tower of Zamek Górny in Opole at the turn of the 13th and the 14th centuries, which was used as a school building until 2017. The hazard identified in 2013 was found on the ground level of the building in a communication route of the heavy traffic load. Visual inspections and tests have demonstrated that the existing situation was caused by civil works performed at the dungeon level nearly 6 years earlier due to an unconsidered decision on removing debris and a backfill which filled entirely the lower tower storeys. The above actions resulted in removal of the base of the floor ‘laid on the ground’ in the 19th century [2][4]. In this article, an analysis was carried out to verify possibilities of unbelievable strength of the artificially formed flat vault, which was previously the floor supported on a debris and sand base.

Highlights

The subject of the article is a gate building of a traditional masonry structure constituting an element of the defence system of the Piast castle from the turn of the 13th and the 14th centuries
Due to many years of omissions relating to the improper maintenance of these buildings and structures, some of them have fully degraded so in much cases they just vanished from our landscape or were demolished [1]
When Opole was taken by the Red Army, the buildings were converted into the front-line hospital which saved them from further degradation as it was the case for the majority of city centre buildings

Summary

Introduction

The subject of the article is a gate building of a traditional masonry structure constituting an element of the defence system of the Piast castle from the turn of the 13th and the 14th centuries. The golden age of these buildings passed when they were stopped to be used as fortifications, i.e. when completely new battle and war practices were introduced and the weapons changed. Another age has come, the age of oblivion and natural degradation resulting from negligence in proper maintenance, as well as well-thought and rash invasive operations, which partially or completely changed the intended use of the mentioned structures. This part was integrated with the defensive wall whose aboveground part was dismantled. The name of the Mechanical School has been used since 1975 [2][4]

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