| Title |
High-resolution 3D FEM stability analysis of the Sabereebi Cave Monastery, Georgia |
| Authors |
Domej, Gisela ; Previtali, Marco ; Castellanza, Riccardo ; Spizzichino, Daniele ; Crosta, Giovanni B ; Villa, Alberto ; Fusi, Nicoletta ; Elashvili, Mikheil ; Margottini, Claudio |
| DOI |
10.1007/s00603-022-02858-z |
| Full Text |
|
| Is Part of |
Rock mechanics and rock engineering.. Wien : Springer. 2022, vol. 55, iss. 8, p. 5139-5162.. ISSN 0723-2632. eISSN 1434-453X |
| Keywords [eng] |
Slope stability ; Soft rock ; Static analysis ; Point cloud processing ; 3D FEM ; Geoarchaeology |
| Abstract [eng] |
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. |
| Published |
Wien : Springer |
| Type |
Journal article |
| Language |
English |
| Publication date |
2022 |
| CC license |
|
