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High-Resolution 3D FEM Stability Analysis of the Sabereebi Cave Monastery, Georgia
Abstract This study assesses the static stability of the artificial Sabereebi Cave Monastery southeast of Georgia's capital, Tbilisi. The cliff into which these Georgian-Orthodox caverns, chapels, and churches were carved consists of a five-layered sequence of weak sedimentary rock—all of which bear a considerable failure potential and, consequently, pose the challenge of preservation to geologists, engineers, and archaeologists. In the first part of this study, we present a strategy to process point cloud data from drone photogrammetry as well as from laser scanners acquired in- and outside the caves into high-resolution CAD objects that can be used for numerical modeling ranging from macro- to micro-scale. In the second part, we explore four distinct series of static elasto-plastic finite element stability models featuring different levels of detail, each of which focuses on specific geomechanical scenarios such as classic landsliding due to overburden, deformation of architectural features as a result of stress concentration, material response to weathering, and pillar failure due to vertical load. With this bipartite approach, the study serves as a comprehensive 3D stability assessment of the Sabereebi Cave Monastery on the one hand; on the other hand, the established procedure should serve as a pilot scheme, which could be adapted to different sites in the future combining non-invasive and relatively cost-efficient assessment methods, data processing and hazard estimation.
Highlights One single high-resolution 3D FEM model allowing for failure zone identification on macro- to micro-scaleStrategy to process point cloud data from drone photogrammetry and laser scanners into composite FEM-suitable CAD objectsStrategy application to a real-life geoarchaeological case studyDemonstration of versatile FEM model usage for different geotechnical questionsFailure potential estimation across an underground compound consisting of seven caves and sub-caves
High-Resolution 3D FEM Stability Analysis of the Sabereebi Cave Monastery, Georgia
Abstract This study assesses the static stability of the artificial Sabereebi Cave Monastery southeast of Georgia's capital, Tbilisi. The cliff into which these Georgian-Orthodox caverns, chapels, and churches were carved consists of a five-layered sequence of weak sedimentary rock—all of which bear a considerable failure potential and, consequently, pose the challenge of preservation to geologists, engineers, and archaeologists. In the first part of this study, we present a strategy to process point cloud data from drone photogrammetry as well as from laser scanners acquired in- and outside the caves into high-resolution CAD objects that can be used for numerical modeling ranging from macro- to micro-scale. In the second part, we explore four distinct series of static elasto-plastic finite element stability models featuring different levels of detail, each of which focuses on specific geomechanical scenarios such as classic landsliding due to overburden, deformation of architectural features as a result of stress concentration, material response to weathering, and pillar failure due to vertical load. With this bipartite approach, the study serves as a comprehensive 3D stability assessment of the Sabereebi Cave Monastery on the one hand; on the other hand, the established procedure should serve as a pilot scheme, which could be adapted to different sites in the future combining non-invasive and relatively cost-efficient assessment methods, data processing and hazard estimation.
Highlights One single high-resolution 3D FEM model allowing for failure zone identification on macro- to micro-scaleStrategy to process point cloud data from drone photogrammetry and laser scanners into composite FEM-suitable CAD objectsStrategy application to a real-life geoarchaeological case studyDemonstration of versatile FEM model usage for different geotechnical questionsFailure potential estimation across an underground compound consisting of seven caves and sub-caves
High-Resolution 3D FEM Stability Analysis of the Sabereebi Cave Monastery, Georgia
Domej, Gisela (author) / Previtali, Marco (author) / Castellanza, Riccardo (author) / Spizzichino, Daniele (author) / Crosta, Giovanni B. (author) / Villa, Alberto (author) / Fusi, Nicoletta (author) / Elashvili, Mikheil (author) / Margottini, Claudio (author)
2022
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
BKL:
38.58
Geomechanik
/
56.20
Ingenieurgeologie, Bodenmechanik
/
38.58$jGeomechanik
/
56.20$jIngenieurgeologie$jBodenmechanik
RVK:
ELIB41
Georgia: Jvari (Holy Cross) Monastery in Mtskheta
DataCite | 2015
|British Library Online Contents | 2015
|UB Braunschweig | 1977
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