(IN)TANGIBLE HERITAGE(S)
Abstract
Many English towns and cities contain cathedrals dating from the 11th century. These structures have acted as socially important focal points for centuries and are engineering and architectural masterpieces. While the superstructure is visible, the foundations of English cathedrals contain details about a cathedral’s past and hints about its future. Although prominent today in their rebuilt form, the central crossing tower of many cathedrals collapsed between the 11th and 13th centuries and were reconstructed in the following centuries. Our modern understanding of structural and geotechnical engineering shows that these collapses were predictable and, in most cases, related to misjudgment of the ground conditions and a lack of understanding of the ground strength. It can be assumed that the collapses were due to differential settlement within the central tower – each tower pier settled differently related to the others, creating unequal stress across the arch between them, contributing to the ultimate unevenness in the distribution of forces, leading to eventual collapse. This paper analyzes the relationship between tower height and ground conditions to calculate the estimated expected settlement for six cathedrals. Several assumptions were made as part of this initial investigation: the cathedral tower volume and weights were estimated from historic drawings and dimensions, the ground conditions were taken from historic boreholes and geological data, and the soil and rock characteristics were approximated for each ground type. These inputs resulted in estimations of tower settlement for each cathedral and ultimately a plot detailing the anticipated settlement given ground conditions and tower stress. This information can predict the potential need for future involvement to ensure the preservation of cathedrals or confirm the past need for engineering involvement in the case of York Minster.
Zoe Temco is a civil engineer in Boston, Massachusetts. She currently works as a transportation planner at Arup and spent several years as a tunnel engineer before transitioning to her current role. Zoe holds a Master of Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in geotechnical engineering and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University. Her Master’s Thesis, titled “The Foundations of English Cathedrals” is the basis for this paper. Zoe previously presented a paper titled “Review of Historic Records in the Design of the Kensico – Eastview Connection Tunnel” at the American Rock Mechanics Association 2019 conference. This work combined 3D modeling, GIS, historic drawings, and historic geological information to understand the construction of a hundred year old tunnel and predict the geologic conditions for a new water tunnel nearby. Outside of work Zoe’s interests focus on the history of technology, and the intersection of engineering, technological development, and social change.
Herbert H. Einstein is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducting research in rock mechanics, engineering geology, and underground construction, spanning a wide range of studies from field measurements to laboratory experiments to numerical and analytical models. Since 1973, this research work has resulted in thirty-six Ph.D. dissertations and over three hundred authored and co-authored professional publications on the mechanical properties of soils and rocks; analysis, design, and project management of underground structures; risk analysis of landslides; and probabilistic methods in rock engineering and engineering geology. Professor Einstein teaches courses in rock mechanics, engineering geology, and underground construction at M.I.T. Herbert Einstein received the 2014 Outstanding Educator Award of the Underground Construction Association of SME, the 2006 Outstanding Contributions to Rock Mechanics Award from the American Rock Mechanics Association and the 1999 Müller Lecture Award from the International Society for Rock Mechanics as well as numerous teaching awards at MIT. He has degrees of Dipl, Bauing. and Sc.D. from ETH-Zurich.
11:15 am - 12:45 pm
Wednesday 15th June, 2022