Experimental assessment of load-bearing capacity on structures subject to monument protection

The experimental assessment of load-bearing capacity opens up new opportunities in the care of monuments. If the required preconditions for a reliable computation are not known or cannot be reliably determined, then the computed description of the real behaviour will be inadequate. In special cases the experimental method is the remedy. A non-destructive loading technique in conjunction with modern on-line measurement technology records, in situ on the structure, all relevant structural reactions, giving a true picture of the real structural properties. The experimental investigations normally produce more favourable results that the static computation. The breadth of application for the experimental investigatory methods are demonstrated here using some examples.