NIKER project: New Integrated Knowledge Based Approaches to the Protection of Cultural Heritage from Earthquake-Induced Risk
Funding Body: European Commission FP7 Programme (project No 244123, call No FP7-ENV-2009-1)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Dina D'Ayala
Researcher: Sara Paganoni (Research Assistant)
Academic Partners: University of Bath, Universita’ degli Studi of Padova, Padova, Italy, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin, Germany, Ustav Teoreticke A Aplikovane Mechaniky Avcr, Prague, Czech Republic, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy, Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal, Gazi Universitesi, Ankara, Turkey, Ecole Nationale D'architecture, Rabat, Morocco, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem, Israel.
Industry Partners: CINTEC International Ltd, Newport, UK, Bozza legnami S.r.l., Vigonza, Italy, Interprojekt d.o.o., Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, S&B Industrial Minerals Mining Quarrying Industrial Commercial, Tourists Shipping Technical Company SA, Kifissia, Greece, Ziegert Seiler Ingenieure GmbH, Berlin, Germany, Monumenta - Conservacao E Restaurodo Patrimonio Arquitectonico Lda, Lisbon, Portugal
Dates: 2010 – 2013
Damage to church in the historic centre of L’Aquila, Italy, after April 2009 earthquake
Pull-out test of instrumented dissipative anchor device
As the recent 2009 Abruzzo, Italy, earthquake has proven, earthquake damage, either in terms of casualties or cultural and economic losses, is considerably high in European historic centres, due to both the intrinsic vulnerability of Cultural Heritage (CH) assets and the application of intervention technologies that are often intrusive, cost-inefficient, and unreliable and/or non-effective.
The “New Integrated Knowledge Based Approaches to the Protection of Cultural Heritage from Earthquake-Induced Risk” (NIKER) project aims to tackle the above-mentioned problems on the basis of a ‘minimum intervention’ approach, i.e. a multidisciplinary methodology which fully apply strength and energy dissipation of existing materials and components, and explores new candidate interventions to the purpose of achieving compatibility and low intrusiveness, as well as optimal seismic performances. The process relies on both experimental and computational tools, databases and the know-how of partners involved in the project; validation is performed under specific, real life conditions.
The consortium will eventually deliver a set of guidelines for end-users, giving indications on new integrated materials, technologies and tools for systemic improvement of seismic behaviour of CH assets.
The project is structured in work packages (WP). Dr. D’Ayala will lead WP6, “Strengthening of connections and dissipative systems with early warning”, by carrying out a series of tests on structural connections, to quantitatively characterize their behaviour before and after the improvement with several strengthening techniques. Additionally a new type of anchors, in which both a dissipative device and a sensoring system are embedded, will be developed, linking together the concepts of strength capacity and control of damage through dissipation of energy.
The University of Bath research group will also take part in other WPs, namely “Damage based selection of technologies”, “Optimization of design for floors, roof and vaults”, “Systemic improvement of overall seismic response”, and “Knowledge based assessment”.