A study of 3D digital simulation analysis of fire charring degree of wood construction of Chinese traditional architecture

Abstract

For the Chinese traditional architecture which uses wood construction in large quantities, the fire often causes irreversible disasters, and the cultural heritage may be lost in a flash. According to Taiwan Cultural Assets Preservation Act, the historic monuments restoration must uphold the spirit of “Restoring the Old as the Old”, so the structural safety assessment is a necessary program for what can be restored after disaster. Traditionally, the char depth data of the wood construction after fires are obtained by pore-drilling measurement. Therefore, the detection positions and quantity are determined according to the post-disaster condition. The weak structure often fails to be measured, so that the evaluation result is likely to be distorted. This study uses dynamic fire simulation theory, and takes a Chinese traditional architecture, Potzu Pei-tian Temple in Chiayi, Taiwan as an example for experiment, trying to build a digital char depth virtual detection model. The research findings show that this conception can build a virtual detection mode, which may provide more comprehensive char depth information than traditional method, assisting the safety assessment operation of post-disaster restored structures effectively.