On the Structure of the Roman Pantheon

Märk, Robert; Hutchinson, Paul

doi:10.2307/3050861

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…Contrary to the commonly held belief in the inertness of the Roman vault, recent work on the Pantheon dome (Mark and Hutchinson 1986) has suggested that a concrete vault will exert a thrust on its supports not only while the mortar is wet, but also after it has set. In nearly all the cases we have been discussing, the thrust of the vaults has to be taken on columns and their connecting lintels; the only exception is the Horrea Agrippiana, which is an early example and perhaps represents an experimental stage.…”

Section: The Innovationmentioning

confidence: 78%

Structural experimentation: The lintel arch, corbel and tie in western Roman architecture

DeLaine

1990

World Archaeology

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Section: The Innovationmentioning

confidence: 78%

Structural experimentation: The lintel arch, corbel and tie in western Roman architecture

DeLaine

1990

World Archaeology

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“…Finally we address the previously risen issue on the effect of the presence of the step-rings in the Rotonda's state of stress and we compare the results with those given in [Mark and Hutchinson, 1986] and [Brune, 2010].…”

Section: Motivation Of the Present Studymentioning

confidence: 87%

“…In evaluating the effect of step-rings on the state of stress of the Pantheon's dome, the opposite and controversial results given by Mark and Hutchinson [Mark and Hutchinson, 1986] and Brune [Brune, 2010], as we highlighted in Section 1.3, need explanation. To D R A F T Figure 7: Progressive cracking of the dome due to an incrementally applied thermal load of (ε v /α) 5 = 4.55 K, during step 2) (plan view).…”

Section: The Role Of Step-ringsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…For what concerns the choice of the mechanical characteristics of the materials, the densities have been fixed upon the indications given in [Mark and Hutchinson, 1986], while the other properties have been derived upon the identification of a rationale link to the densities so that, starting from few known data, the other ones can be assessed. Indeed, according to historians and researchers in mechanics of ancient monuments, the physical properties of concretes and mortars of the past have different characteristics with respect to modern concrete.…”

Section: Modeling the Materials Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While, as explained in Sec. 2, we decided to follow the indications for the densities given in[Mark and Hutchinson, 1986] and the scheme represented inFigure 3andTable 1. Moreover, from the cracked configuration of the dome, as found by modeling shrinkage, we can easily check that the dome behaves like an array of wedge-shaped arches and that the hoop stresses are even lower than those of the configuration without stepped rings.…”

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confidence: 99%

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On the origin of the cracks in the dome of the Pantheon in Rome

Masi

Stefanou

Vannucci

2018

Engineering Failure Analysis

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In this paper we aim at giving a contribution to a problem that has been the subject of previous studies since some decades: the reason and period of formation of the meridional cracks that affect the dome of the Pantheon of Rome. This problem is investigated using a detailed three-dimensional finite-element simulation in which material nonlinearities, as well as a plausible sequence of the construction stages, are modeled. In particular, we show that concrete shrinkage, together with gravity may have been the main mechanical causes of the cracks in the early phases of the building's life. Unlike previous studies on the matter, that have largely inspired our research and where simplified 2D finite element models of the Pantheon were used, we make use of a detailed 3D model of the Pantheon's structure, that takes into account for both the particular geometry of the building, and namely the presence in the dome of a coffering and of caveas, and of the differences in the materials. The nonlinear numerical simulations, in addition, aim at reproducing, through different steps, the (probable) true constructing sequence of the dome, in order to obtain numerical results as much as possible close to reality. The results of our simulations show a rather surprising correspondence with the actual state of the dome: in fact, the overall pattern of the cracks so found is in a very good agreement with the real one, for both the number of the cracks and their extent, which shows that concrete shrinkage may have been the true reason for the presence of the meridional cracks. We have also investigated the role of the stepped rings that exist in the outer part of the dome; we show in this case that some previous studies are not necessarily contradictory, but rather complementary.

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Strengthening the 100‐year‐old reinforced concrete dome of the Centennial Hall in Wrocław

Onysyk

Biliszczuk

Prabucki³

et al. 2014

Structural Concrete

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The Centennial Hall, a reinforced concrete structure with an auditorium for 10 000 people, was opened in Wrocław, Poland (then Breslau, Germany) Short historical outline of massive domesThe most famous building with a roof constructed as a coffered concrete dome is the 2000-year-old Pantheon in Rome, commissioned by Marcus Agrippa in 27 BC and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in about 126 AD [1]. During its history, the building had various functions and was eventually turned into a church. It is a great structure with a central opening (oculus) at the crown and a lower ring 43.3 m in diameter. The thickness of the dome varies from 6.4 m at its base to 1.2 m at the level of the oculus [2]. The stresses in the dome were reduced by using lightweight aggregate, e.g. pieces of pumice in higher layers, which decreased the density [3]. This reduced the weight of the roof, as did the coffered structure of the dome ( (Fig. 2), erected under Justinian between AD 532 and 537, is one of the greatest achievements of Byzantine culture and has undergone a turbulent history, also during its construction. In May 558, following the earthquakes of August 553 and December 557, parts of the central dome and its supporting structure collapsed [5]. Between 558 and 562 a new modified design was introduced, resulting in the dome we see today.The next large dome structures were built in Europe during the Renaissance [7]; Florence Cathedral (the largest dome since antiquity, with a diameter of 44 m) and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome (on the left in Fig. 3), which has a dome with an inside diameter of 42.7 m [8]. This is a double shell structure made of bricks and travertine blocks held together with lime mortar, stiffened by 16 ribs and supported by a cylindrical structure stabilized by 16 buttresses [8]. During the construction of the dome, carried out in 1589-1592 by Giacomo della Porta, three iron chains were built into the internal shell, and in 1590 two additional hoops were added at the base of the lantern [9].

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On the Structure of the Roman Pantheon

Cited by 16 publications

References 0 publications

Structural experimentation: The lintel arch, corbel and tie in western Roman architecture

Structural experimentation: The lintel arch, corbel and tie in western Roman architecture

On the origin of the cracks in the dome of the Pantheon in Rome

Strengthening the 100‐year‐old reinforced concrete dome of the Centennial Hall in Wrocław

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