Fill-in-Glass Restoration: Exploring Issues of Compatibility for the Case of Schaesberg Castle

Abstract

This paper explores a novel restoration approach for consolidating historic structures using structural glass to substitute for the missing elements, preserving at the same time the structural integrity of the structure. A restoration design is proposed for thehypothetical consolidation of the remaining tower of Schaesberg Castle, in Limburg, The Netherlands. The masonry walls suffer from a significant loss of material and a temporary steel structure currently prevents the tower from collapsing. It is proposed to use stacked float glass to fill the missing parts of the wall. The connection between the old masonry and new glass is the most challenging aspect given the different physical and mechanical properties of the materials, which need to work together in a coherent way. Shear tests of various connecting materials are carried out in order to evaluate the performance of this connection with respect to aspects of compatibility and feasibility.

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