MODELLING FROM THE PAST: THE LEANING SOUTWEST TOWER OF CAERPHILLY CASTLE 1539-2015
Caerphilly Castle (1268-70) is the first concentric castle in Britain and the second largest in the UK. The dramatic inclination of its ruinous south west tower has been noted since 1539. Comparing data from historical surveys and a terrestrial laser scan undertaken in 2015, this paper seeks to re...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2017-08-01
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| Series: | ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://www.isprs-ann-photogramm-remote-sens-spatial-inf-sci.net/IV-2-W2/221/2017/isprs-annals-IV-2-W2-221-2017.pdf |
| Summary: | Caerphilly Castle (1268-70) is the first concentric castle in Britain and the second largest in the UK. The dramatic inclination of its
ruinous south west tower has been noted since 1539. Comparing data from historical surveys and a terrestrial laser scan undertaken
in 2015, this paper seeks to review evidence for the long-term stability of the tower. Digital documentation and archival research by
architects is collated to provide data for structural analysis by engineers. A terrestrial laser scan was used to create a detailed three
dimensional finite element model to enable structural analysis of the current shape of the tower made by tetrahedral elements. An
automated strategy has been implemented for the transformation of the complex three dimensional point cloud into a three
dimensional finite element model. Numerical analysis has been carried out aiming at understanding the main structural weaknesses
of the tower in its present condition. Comparisons of four sets of data: 1539, 1830, 1870 and 2015 enabled us to determine change
albeit between very different methods of measurement. |
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| ISSN: | 2194-9042 2194-9050 |