Numerical modelling and structural analysis of Armoury Museum at City Palace Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

Abstract

The work intends to study and analyse a case study of the City Palace Udaipur in Rajasthan, India. The City Palace complex, Udaipur is an exemplary model of the Rajput palace fortress and its construction lasted 400 years, starting from 1553C.E [1]. The Saleh Khana (armoury museum) had been intervened due to the presence of structural damage [2]. This work focusses on the analysis of the structural condition of the Saleh Khana (armoury museum), within the City Palace of Udaipur, India. In general, two main objectives are achieved. First, the modelling and assessment of the condition of the structure before the interventions are carried out. The obtained results are then compared with the documented damage present in the structure before the interventions to verify if the damage present at the structure was reflected properly while modelling and its only due to the vertical forces acting on the building. Secondly, the modelling and assessment of the condition of the structure after the interventions is carried out. The obtained results are then compared with structural analysis before the intervention to verify the improvements made with the interventions that were proposed and executed. To achieve these objectives, different 3D finite element models of the structure were analysed. The research was able to justify several important damage features of the building. Particularly, good consistency was obtained regarding the damage patterns of the stone frames and the vaulted roofs. Furthermore, the results indicate that the numerical model developed within the scope of this work can properly replicate the overall behaviour of the structure. The efficiency of the interventions executed in the Saleh Khana was estimated, and an improvement on the overall capacity of the structure under vertical loads of 67% can be expected.